Integration of applications with a financial close management system

ABSTRACT

A computer-readable medium, computer-implemented method, and financial close management system are provided that includes a integration framework that allows an end user to leverage services or interfaces from external applications as part of a business process, such as a financial close process, of a financial close management system. The integration framework can integrate a task that requires the user to interact with a user interface of an external application (identified as an “end user task”) with the financial close management system. The integration framework can also integrate a task that runs without any user interaction required, and that interacts with a web service of an external application (identified as a “system automated task”) with the financial close management system.

FIELD

One embodiment is directed generally to a computer system, and inparticular to a financial computer system configured to run businessprocesses.

BACKGROUND

Companies can have business processes, where each business processrequires that a set of tasks be completed before the business processcan be deemed to be completed. An example of a business process is afinancial close process, which is a process to complete an accountingreporting cycle of a company. The financial close process can includeone or more tasks that need to be performed in order to complete theaccounting reporting cycle. Such tasks can include ledger and sub-ledgerclose, data loading and mapping, financial consolidation,reconciliation, tax/treasury, and internal/external reporting tasks.

A computer system can be configured to manage one or more businessprocesses, such as a financial close process, for a company. However,there are many challenges in configuring a computer system to managebusiness processes. One challenge is the wide diversity of businessprocesses. For example, in the context of a financial close process, afinancial close can mean different things to different employees of acompany. To a divisional controller, a financial close may mean closingout the sub-ledgers and general ledger at month end or quarter end andsubmitting the results to a corporate branch of the company. To aheadquarters accountant, the financial close may mean collecting thedetails from the respective divisions of the company, making finaladjustments, and performing the corporate financial consolidation andreporting. To a Chief Financial Officer and other financial executives,the financial close may mean finalizing results, announcing earnings,and creating 10Q/10K's and other regulatory filings for the SEC andother stakeholders. Thus, it is desirable to a company that the computersystem configured to manage such diverse business processes, and thediverse tasks associated with a business process, provide a flexible androbust mechanism for creating, grouping, and managing tasks of one ormore business processes.

Furthermore, a computer system configured to manage one or more businessprocesses may need to interact with one or more external computersystems. For example, a computer system configured to manage a financialclose process may need to interact with external computer systems, suchas enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and financialconsolidation systems. An ERP system is a computer system configured tomanage internal and external resources such as tangible assets,financial resources, materials and human resources. A financialconsolidation system is a computer system configured to streamline theinternal financial reporting of a company. However, the ERP andfinancial consolidation systems may be independent systems that areseparate from the computer system configured to manage the financialclose process. The independent nature of the systems may makeintegration and coordination of the systems difficult.

One approach for overcoming these difficulties is to use several ad-hocand disconnected tools to interconnect the ERP systems and financialconsolidation systems with the computer system configured to manage thefinancial close process, in order to complete associated tasks, such ascreating external-facing financial statements. One problem with thisapproach is that there is no visibility into the activities necessary tocreate the financial statements. Activities performed outside the ERPsystems or financial consolidation systems often do not have a system ofrecord. Thus, the tasks performed are difficult to audit, and, as aresult, a risk is associated with the goal of achieving accuratefinancial statements.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the invention is directed to a computer-readablemedium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to integrate a financial close managementsystem with an external application. The instructions include creatingan integration type in the financial close management system, where theintegration type is a reusable definition that describes an action and aset of parameters that can be used to interface with the externalapplication. The instructions further include creating a task type basedon the integration type in the financial close management system, wherethe task type defines a type of task that can be performed by thefinancial close management system. The instructions further includecreating a task that is based on the task type in the financial closemanagement system, where the task is a component of a financial closeprocess. The instructions further include executing the task in thefinancial close management system, where the task interfaces with theexternal application using the integration type.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further embodiments, details, advantages, and modifications will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments, which is to be taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a framework of a financial close management systemaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example implementation of a financial closemanagement framework according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a financial close managementsystem that may implement an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a deployment of a financial close management systemaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a deployment of a financial close management systemaccording to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a financial close managementserver that may implement an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates functionality that can be implemented by a financialclose management system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an integration framework of a financial closemanagement system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example implementation of an integration frameworkof a financial close management system according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an end user task integration type according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a system automated task integration type accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates an integrated task creating an artifact in anexternal application according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates parameters associated with an integration typeaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system configured to allow a user to create or edit anintegration type according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system configured to allow a user to create or edit aparameter for an integration type according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 17 illustrates a flow diagram of the functionality of a financialclose management module according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates different statuses of a schedule according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates a method of creating a schedule according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 illustrates another method of creating a schedule according toan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 21 illustrates a method of adding a task to a schedule according toan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 illustrates a method of modifying a task of a schedule accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 23 illustrates a method of deleting a task of a schedule accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 24 illustrates a method of deleting a schedule according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 25 illustrates a method of duplicating a schedule according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 26 illustrates a method of validating a schedule according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 27 illustrates a method of creating a template from a scheduleaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 28 illustrates a method of importing a schedule according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 29 illustrates a method of exporting a schedule according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 30 illustrates a flow diagram for creating and managing schedulesaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 31 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financialmanagement system which displays a “Manage Schedules” screen accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 32 illustrates a flow diagram for setting task parameters at aschedule according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 33 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system configured to define task type parameters whose valuescan be set at a schedule according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 34 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system configured to set values of task parameters of aschedule according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 35 illustrates a flow diagram of the functionality of a financialclose management module according to another embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 36 illustrates a framework for filtering on custom attributesaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 37 illustrates an implementation of custom attributes according toan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 38 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to createa custom attribute according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 39 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to updatea custom attribute according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 40 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to managecustom attributes according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 41 illustrates another example of a user interface configured tomanage custom attributes according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 42 illustrates an implementation of a filter according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 43 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to displaya filter panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 44 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to displaya filter panel and a view of objects based on an applied filter of thefilter panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 45 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to managefilters according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 46 illustrates a method of filtering on custom attributes accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 47 illustrates a flow diagram of the functionality of a financialclose management module according to another embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Financial Close Management Framework

One embodiment of the invention is directed towards to a financial closemanagement system. According to the embodiment, a financial closemanagement system can help define, execute, and report on theinterdependent processes of a financial close period. The financialclose management system can provide centralized monitoring of allfinancial close processes tasks, and can provide a visible, automated,repeatable system of record for running financial close processes.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the financial closemanagement system can provide the following functionality: definingfinancial close tasks for a financial close process; defining a scheduleof financial close tasks to ensure the correct flow of tasks; automatingthe management of the financial close process to track the status offinancial close tasks; providing notification and alerts relating to thefinancial close process; integrating the financial close tasks withproducts tasks; generating end user notifications; monitoring an overallstatus of a financial close process from a central dashboard, orbusiness intelligence display; acting on errors or delays with financialclose tasks; and analyzing the effectiveness of the financial closeprocess.

In accordance with an embodiment, the financial close management systemcan visualize all the tasks required to complete a specific process.More specifically, the financial close management system can show allthe tasks within a specific process, and also show their expectedsequencing and interrelationships. In an example where the specificprocess is a company's financial close process, the financial closemanagement system can summarize all the required tasks needed tocomplete an accounting reporting cycle.

According to an embodiment, the financial close management systemincludes an extensible workflow engine and an integration frameworkthat, in part, allows the financial close management system to monitorand orchestrate tasks into all applications necessary for the completionof a specific process. The extensible workflow engine and integrationframework can utilize a process manager that uses an orchestrationlanguage, such as Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), to createbusiness processes. The extensible workflow engine and integrationframework can also utilize web services and a service-orientedarchitecture (SOA).

An orchestration language, such as BPEL, is a language for specifyingbusiness process behavior based on web services. Using an orchestrationlanguage, a business process can be modeled by a computer system. Modelsfor business processes generally involve sequences of peer-to-peermessage exchanges, both request-response and one-way, within stateful,long-running interactions involving two or more parties. Anorchestration language provides a formal description of the messageexchange protocols used by business processes in their interactions. Inother words, an orchestration language defines a model and grammar fordescribing the behavior of a business process based on interactionsbetween the process and its partner processes. The interaction with eachpartner process can occur through web service interfaces, and thestructure of the relationship at the interface level can beencapsulated. Thus, an orchestration process, such as a BPEL process,can define how multiple service interactions with partner processes arecoordinated to achieve a business goal.

A web service is a software application designed to supportinteroperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network. A webservice can have an interface described in a machine-processable format.A computer system can interact with a web service by sending messagesover a sequential, stream-oriented protocol such as Hypertext TransferProtocol (HTTP). Examples of web services are Big Web services andRESTful web services. Big Web services are web services that follow aSimple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) standard and use Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML) messages. RESTful web services are services that utilizea Representational State Transfer (REST) style of software architecture,where clients are separate from servers by a uniform interface. A SOA isa flexible set of design principles used during the phases of systemsdevelopment and integration. A deployed SOA-based architecture willprovide a loosely-integrated suite of services that can be used withinmultiple business domains.

A user is a user of the financial close management system that has thecapabilities of viewing a schedule, owning a task, viewing a dashboard,modifying statuses, and creating and managing filters. A power user is auser of the financial close management system that has all thecapabilities of a user, and has the additional capabilities of creatingand importing tasks, and creating and managing templates and schedules.An administrator is a user of the financial close management system thathas all the capabilities of a power user, and has the additionalcapabilities of having full access to all tasks, templates, andschedules, defining years and periods, creating and managing task types,and creating and managing custom attributes.

FIG. 1 illustrates a framework of a financial close management systemaccording to an embodiment of the invention. The framework can includefour core objects: task type 100, task 110, template 120, and schedule130. Task type 100 defines a type of task that can be performed by thefinancial close management system. Task type 100 can include anintegration type associated with task type 100. Specifics of anintegration type are defined in the “Integration” section below. Basedon the associated integration type, task type 100 can define a value forone or more parameters associated with task type 100. As described inthe “Integration” section in more detail below, a parameter represents avalue that is sent to a external service provider when a task invokes aweb service of an external application.

Task type 100 can also define one or more attributes. An attribute is avalue associated with an object, such as task type 100, task 110,template 120, or schedule 130. Task type 100 can also define a value foreach defined attribute of task type 100. Thus, according to anembodiment of the invention, task type 100 can define attribute valuesand parameter values that can be inherited by any task that is createdfrom task type 100.

Task 110 is a core unit of action, and is a component of a financialclose process. In other words, a financial close process can include oneor more tasks. Task 110 can be implemented as an orchestration process,such as a BPEL process, which can be a sub-process of a largerorchestration process that corresponds to the financial close process.Task 110 can be inserted into either a template or a schedule. Task 110inherits from task type 100. In other words, task 110 is based on tasktype 100, and can include all attributes and parameters (and any definedvalue for each inherited attribute and parameter) defined by task type100. Task 110 can also define a value for each parameter where task type100 has not already defined a value. A parameter value defined by task110 is only associated with task 110 rather than task type 100. Also,task 110 can define one or more attributes, in addition to anyattributes inherited from task type 100. In addition, task 110 can alsodefine a value for each defined attribute of task type 100. Thus, basedon the definitions inherited from task type 100, and based on its owndefinitions, task 110 can define one or more parameters and attributes,and define a value for each parameter and attribute.

Template 120 is a repeatable set of tasks, such as task 110. Template120 has a one-to-many relationship with task 110. Tasks within template120 are organized in an ordinal hierarchy. For example, in anembodiment, tasks within template 120 can be organized by offset days.An offset day is not a calendar date, but a numeric identifier used toorder the tasks that make up template 120. According to the embodiment,one or more tasks of template 120 can be assigned an offset day of 0.Furthermore, all tasks that precede the one or more tasks assigned anoffset day of 0 can be assigned offset days that are negative numbers,and all tasks that succeed the one or more tasks assigned an offset dayof 0 can be assigned offset days that are positive numbers. More thanone task can be assigned to an offset day. For example, five tasks canbe assigned to offset day −1, three tasks can be assigned to offset day0, and twelve tasks can be assigned to offset day 5. Template 120 can beused as a basis to create one or more schedules. In addition, template120 can define one or more attributes, and can define a value for eachdefined attribute.

Schedule 130 is an expression of template 120. In other words, schedule130 inherits from template 120, including all the tasks of template 120,and assigns each task to a particular point in time on a calendar (suchas date). The order of tasks in template 120 is maintained in schedule130, and template 120 can be expressed in more than one schedule. Forexample, a first schedule can be created from template 120 where a firsttask of the first schedule starts on January 1 of a calendar year, and asecond schedule can be created from template 120 where a first task ofthe second schedule starts on April 1 of the calendar year. Bothschedules include the same tasks as template 120, but the first schedulebegins before the second schedule. In an alternate embodiment, aschedule can be created manually, rather than inheriting from atemplate.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example implementation of a financial closemanagement framework according to an embodiment of the invention. One ofordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate that this is anexample implementation described for clarification purposes, and thatother implementations of the financial close management frameworkaccording to alternate embodiments also fall within the scope of theinvention. For example, an implementation of a financial closemanagement framework can include any number of task types, tasks,schedules, and templates, and still fall within the scope of theinvention.

According to the illustrated embodiment, two task types, task types 200and 210, can be defined for a financial close management framework. Aspreviously described, task types 200 and 210 can each define a specifictype of task. Two tasks, tasks 220 and 230, can also be defined for thefinancial close management framework within a template, template 250.While in the illustrated embodiment, the two tasks are defined within atemplate, in an alternate embodiment, tasks can be defined for thefinancial close management framework within a schedule, rather than atemplate. Tasks 220 and 230 each inherit from task type 200. A thirdtask, task 240, can also be defined for the financial close managementframework within template 250. Rather than inheriting from task type200, task 240 inherits from task type 210. As one of ordinary skill inthe art would appreciate, any number of tasks and task types can bedefined for the financial close management framework, with any number oftasks inheriting from a given task type. Furthermore, any number oftasks can be defined within a schedule or within a template.

According to the embodiment, a template, template 250, can be definedfor the financial close management framework. As previously described, atemplate is a set of tasks. In the illustrated embodiment, template 250can include tasks 220, 230, and 240. As one of ordinary skill in the artwould appreciate, any number of templates can be defined for thefinancial close management framework, and a template can include anynumber of tasks.

As previously described, a template can be expressed in one or moreschedules. According to the illustrated embodiment, template 250 can beexpressed in two schedules, schedules 260 and 270. Schedules 260 and 270are each an expression of template 250. Thus, schedules 260 and 270 eachinherit tasks 220, 230, and 240 from template 250, and schedules 260 and270 each assign tasks 220, 230, and 240 to a particular point in time ona calendar (such as date). For example, for schedule 260, task 220 canbe assigned to run on January 1 of a calendar year, task 230 can beassigned to run on February 1 of the calendar year, and task 240 can beassigned to run on March 1 of the calendar year. In contrast, forschedule 270, task 220 can be assigned to run on April 1 of the calendaryear, task 230 can be assigned to run on May 1 of the calendar year, andtask 240 can be assigned to run on June 1 of the calendar year. As oneof ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, any number of schedulescan be defined for the financial close management framework, and atemplate can be expressed in any number of schedules.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a financial close managementsystem that may implement an embodiment of the invention. According tothe embodiment, the financial close management system has three layers,a database layer 300, a server layer 310, and a client layer 320.Database layer 300 includes database 301, according to the embodiment.Database 301 can store data for the financial close management system inan integrated collection of logically-related records or files. In theillustrated embodiment, database 301 is a relational database. However,one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that database 301 canbe any type of database known by one of ordinary skill in the art.Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that,while in the illustrated embodiment, the financial close managementsystem includes a single database, the financial close management systemcan include any number of databases and still be within the scope of theinvention.

According to the illustrated embodiment, server layer 310 includes webserver/application server 311. Web server/application server 311 is acombination of a web server and an application server. A web server is acomputer program that can deliver content, such as a web page, using aHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) over a network, such as the Internet.An application server is a computer program that can execute procedures,such as programs, routines, and scripts that can support one or moreapplications. In one embodiment of the invention, the web server andapplication server of web server/application server 311 each operate ona separate machine. In an alternate embodiment, the web server andapplication server of web server/application server 311 operate on thesame machine.

In the embodiment, web server/application server 311 includes financialclose management server 312 and SOA suite server 313. Financial closemanagement server 312 can provide functionality for managing a financialclose process, as will be described in more detail below. SOA suiteserver 313 can provide a suite of services, where a service comprises anunassociated, loosely-coupled, unit of functionality, and where one ormore services can be orchestrated into a non-hierarchical arrangement inorder to construct a software application, such as a business process.SOA suite server 313 can also communicate with database 301 over a setof database protocols, such as Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) andJava Database Connectivity (JDBC) that utilize a Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

According to the embodiment, client layer 320 can operate on any type ofmachine utilizing a browser that is configured to access the Internet.In the illustrated embodiment, client layer 320 includes an email client321 and a workspace client 322. Email client 321 can be a webapplication configured to provide message management, composition, andreception functionality. Email client 321 can be configured to run in abrowser configured to access the Internet. Email client 321 can also beconfigured to communicate with server layer 310 over a Simple MailTransfer Protocol (SMTP) connection. Workspace client 322 can be asoftware application configured to enter and administer tasks created inserver layer 310, configured to display a dashboard reportinginformation on tasks created in server layer 310, and configured toanalyze tasks created in server layer 310. Workspace client 322, likeemail client 321, can also be configured to run in a browser that isconfigured to access the Internet. Workspace client 322 can also beconfigured to communicate with server layer 310 over a HTTP connection.

FIG. 4 illustrates a deployment of a financial close management systemaccording to an embodiment of the invention. According to theembodiment, the deployment includes a client tier 400, an applicationstier 410, and a data tier 420. According to the embodiment, client tier400 includes clients 401 and 402. In the illustrated embodiment, clients401 and 402 operate in a browser configured to access the Internet andconfigured to run on any type of machine, such as Internet Explorer orMozilla Firefox.

Applications tier 410 includes Machine 1, according to the embodiment.Machine 1 includes an application server, a web server, an SOA server,and a financial close management server (not shown).

According to the embodiment, data tier 420 includes Machine 2. Machine 2includes a relational database RDMS.

FIG. 5 illustrates a deployment of a financial close management systemaccording to another embodiment of the invention. According to theembodiment, similar to the deployment illustrated in FIG. 4, thedeployment illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a client tier 500, anapplications tier 510, and a data tier 520. According to the embodiment,client tier 500 includes clients 501 and 502. In the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 5, similar to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4,clients 501 and 502 operate in a browser configured to access theInternet and configured to run on any type of machine, such as InternetExplorer or Mozilla Firefox.

According to the embodiment, in contrast to the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 4, applications tier 510 includes Machine 1 and Machine 2.Applications tier 510 includes a second machine in order to handle theextra number of users. According to the embodiment, machine 1 includesan application server, a web server, and a financial close managementserver (not shown). Furthermore, according to the embodiment, machine 2includes a SOA server.

According to the embodiment, data tier 520 includes Machine 3. Machine 3includes a relational database RDMS.

One of ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciate that FIGS. 4and 5 illustrate example deployments of a financial close managementsystem, and that there are other example deployments within the scope ofthe invention. For example, one of ordinary skill would readilyappreciate that an application tier can include any number of machines,and can include any distribution of the application server, web server,SOA server, and financial close management server among the machines,and still be within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a financial close managementserver 600 that may implement one embodiment of the invention. Financialclose management server 600 includes a bus 612 or other communicationsmechanism for communicating information between components of financialclose management server 600. Financial close management server 600 alsoincludes a processor 622, operatively coupled to bus 612, for processinginformation and executing instructions or operations. Processor 622 maybe any type of general or specific purpose processor. Financial closemanagement server 600 further includes a memory 614 for storinginformation and instructions to be executed by processor 622. Memory 614can be comprised of any combination of random access memory (“RAM”),read only memory (“ROM”), static storage such as a magnetic or opticaldisk, or any other type of machine or computer-readable medium.Financial close management server 600 further includes a communicationdevice 620, such as a network interface card or other communicationsinterface, to provide access to a network. As a result, a user mayinterface with financial close management server 600 directly, orremotely through a network or any other method.

A computer-readable medium may be any available medium that can beaccessed by processor 622. A computer-readable medium may include both avolatile and nonvolatile medium, a removable and non-removable medium, acommunication medium, and a storage medium. A communication medium mayinclude computer readable instructions, data structures, program modulesor other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or othertransport mechanism, and may include any other form of informationdelivery medium known in the art. A storage medium may include RAM,flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (“EEPROM”),registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a compact disk read-only memory(“CD-ROM”), or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

Processor 622 can also be operatively coupled via bus 612 to a display624, such as a Cathode Ray Tube (“CRT”). Display 624 can displayinformation to the user. A keyboard 626 and a cursor control device 628,such as a computer mouse, can also be operatively coupled to bus 612 toenable the user to interface with financial close management server 600.

According to one embodiment, memory 614 can store software modules thatmay provide functionality when executed by processor 622. The modulescan include an operating system 615, a financial close management module616, as well as other functional modules 618. Operating system 615 canprovide an operating system functionality for financial close managementserver 600. Financial close management module 616 can providefunctionality for managing a financial close process, as will bedescribed in more detail below. Financial close management server 600can also be part of a larger system. Thus, financial close managementserver 600 can include one or more additional functional modules 618 toinclude the additional functionality. For example, functional modules618 may include modules that are part of the “Fusion” products fromOracle Corporation.

Processor 622 can also be operatively coupled via bus 612 to a database634. Database 634 can store data in an integrated collection oflogically-related records or files. Database 634 can be an operationaldatabase, an analytical database, a data warehouse, a distributeddatabase, an end-user database, an external database, a navigationaldatabase, an in-memory database, a document-oriented database, areal-time database, a relational database, an object-oriented database,or any other database known in the art.

FIG. 7 illustrates functionality that can be implemented by a financialclose management system according to an embodiment of the invention.However, one of ordinary skill in the art would readily understand thatFIG. 7 illustrates an example distribution of functionality in thefinancial close management system, and that there can be otherdistributions of functionality that fall within the scope of theinvention. In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art would alsounderstand that a financial close management system can provideadditional functionality not illustrated in FIG. 7, and still be withinthe scope of the invention.

According to the embodiment, the financial close management systemillustrated in FIG. 7 includes client layer 700. According to theembodiment, client layer 700 can operate utilizing a browser configuredto access the Internet and configured to run on any type of machine. Inaccordance with the embodiment, client layer 700 can provide task entryand submission functionality. More specifically, client layer 700 canallow a user to create one or more tasks for the financial closemanagement system and submit the one or more tasks for processing.Client layer 700 can also provide functionality for a configurable userdashboard. The configurable user dashboard can provide a portal-styleinterface into the financial close management system, providing viewsinto running schedules and task lists, as well as high-level summaryrepresentations into which a user can drill down for greater detail.According to the embodiment, the configurable user dashboard can be usedfor real time management of current schedules and task lists. Clientlayer 700 can also provide functionality for multiple views of afinancial calendar. More specifically, client layer 700 can provide aday view, a week view, or a month view, where each view displays thetasks that are scheduled for that specific day, week, or month. Inaddition, client layer 700 can also provide functionality for viewingreport binders. A report binder is a history of all activities thatoccurred as part of an process, such as all tasks associated with afinancial close process. A report binder can be stored in a format, suchas a compressed file. By selecting the format using a user interface ofa financial close management system, a user can view the report binderusing the user interface.

In accordance with the embodiment, the financial close management systemalso includes server layer 710. According to the embodiment, serverlayer 710 can operate on one or more machines to provide fail-over andload balancing. In accordance with the embodiment, server layer 710 canprovide financial close schedule and financial close templatefunctionality. More specifically, server layer 710 can create andprocesses schedules and templates for a financial close process aspreviously described above. Server layer 710 can also provide e-mailnotification and vacation scheduling functionality. More specifically,server layer 710 can e-mail a user to notify the user that a taskrequires the user's attention, and can coordinate a vacation schedulefor the users of a system to determine when a user will not be availableto perform a task due to vacation. Server layer 710 can also providework flow management and product integration functionality. Workflowmanagement refers to processing one or more tasks associated with atemplate or schedule. Product integration is described in more detail inthe “Integration” section. In addition, server layer 710 can alsoprovide role-based security and task access control functionality.Role-based security refers to determining whether a user has access to amodule of the financial close management system (such as viewing orediting a template or schedule, or viewing a dashboard) based on anassociated role. Task access control refers to controlling access to atask (such as who can view and approve a task).

In accordance with the embodiment, the financial close management systemalso includes data layer 720. According to the embodiment, data layer720 can provide task definition functionality and schedule and templaterepository functionality. More specifically, data layer 720 can storeone or more defined tasks, schedules, and templates. Data layer 720 canprovide document attachment and commentary functionality. Morespecifically, data layer 720 can store one or more document attachmentsor comments associated with a task. In addition, data layer 720 canprovide auditing and logging functionality and security functionality.More specifically, data layer 720 can store actions performed in thefinancial close management system, and can store security roles that canbe assigned to one or more users of the financial close managementsystem.

Integration

One embodiment of the invention is directed towards an integrationframework of a financial close management system that allows an end userto leverage services or interfaces from external applications as part ofa business process, such as a financial close process, of a financialclose management system. According to an embodiment, the integrationframework can integrate a task that requires the user to interact with auser interface of an external application (identified as an “end usertask”) with the financial close management system. According to anotherembodiment, the integration framework can integrate a task that runswithout any user interaction required, and that interacts with a webservice of an external application (identified as a “system automatedtask”) with the financial close management system.

FIG. 8 illustrates an integration framework of a financial closemanagement system according to an embodiment of the invention. Morespecifically, FIG. 8 illustrates an integration framework that is acomponent of a financial close management framework. FIG. 8 illustratestask type 100, task 110, template 120, and schedule 130, which isdiscussed in relation to FIG. 1. FIG. 8 also illustrates an additionalcore object according to an embodiment of the invention, integrationtype 140. Integration type 140 is a reusable definition that describesan action and a set of parameters that can be used to interface with anexternal application, such as external application 150. Interfacing withthe external application can include calling either a service or aninterface of the external application. An external application, such asexternal application 150, is a software application that is independentand external from the financial close management framework. Examples ofan external application include the “Hyperion Financial Management,”“Hyperion Financial Data Quality Management,” and “Hyperion FinancialReporting” products from Oracle Corporation.

According to the embodiment, integration type 140 can include thefollowing attributes: execution type, task parameters, execution detail,and response detail. An execution type defines the type of integration,either “end user” or “system automated.” Task parameters define a set ofparameters needed to invoke the end user or system automated task. Forexample, if the integrated service will run a report, a parameter allowsfor a user to specify which report to run. The values for theseparameters may be set in a task type associated with integration type140 (such as task type 110), or may be set at run time when a taskassociated with integration type 140 (such as task 110) is initiated. Anexecution detail defines execution information used to invoke a task.For an end user task, the execution detail can include a UniformResource Locator (URL) needed to invoke an external applicationinterface. For a system automated task, the execution detail can includea web service endpoint needed to invoke the web service. A responsedetail includes information necessary to process information from a webservice indicating success or failure and detail on the execution.

According to an alternate embodiment, integration type 140 can includethe following additional attributes: name, description, unique codeidentifier, and external application. A name indicates a display name ofintegration type 140. A description indicates a general descriptionassociated with integration type 140. A unique code identifier uniquelyidentifies integration type 140 and distinguishes integration type 140from other integration types defined in an integration framework. Anexternal application identifies an external application that integrationtype 140 is identified with (such as external application 150).

As illustrated in FIG. 8, task type 100 can be based on integration type140. In other words, task type 100 inherits from integration type 140,including inheriting a set of parameters defined by integration type140. According to an embodiment, task type 100 can provide one or moredefault values for the set of parameters defined by integration type140.

According to an embodiment, to integrate an external application serviceor interface within a financial close management system, the service orinterface is first defined as an integration type within the financialclose management system. Subsequently, a task type is created that wrapsthe integration for usage in the financial close management system.Lastly, a task is added within the financial close management systemthat is based on the created task type. According to the embodiment, anintegration type is the only object that contains knowledge of theexternal application service or interface. Thus, the task type and taskare not directly related to the external application service definition(or external application interface definition), and each object does notrequire knowledge of the external application service or interface.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example implementation of an integration frameworkof a financial close management system according to an embodiment of theinvention. One of ordinary skill in the art would readily appreciatethat this is an example implementation described for clarificationpurposes, and that other implementations of the integration frameworkaccording to alternate embodiments also fall within the scope of theinvention. For example, an implementation of an integration frameworkcan include any number of integration types, external applications, tasktypes, tasks, schedules, and templates, and still fall within the scopeof the invention.

According to the illustrated embodiment, two integration types,integration types 900 and 910, can be defined for an integrationframework, which is a component of a financial close managementframework. As previously described, an integration type is a reusabledefinition that describes an action and a set of parameters that can beused to call either a service or an interface of an externalapplication. In the illustrated embodiment, integration type 900describes an action and a set of parameters used to call either aservice or an interface of external application 980, and integrationtype 910 describes an action and a set of parameters used to call eithera service or an interface of external application 990. As one ofordinary skill in the art would appreciate, any number of integrationtypes can be defined for the integration framework.

According to the illustrated embodiment, two task types, task types 920and 930, can be defined for the financial close management framework,where task type 920 inherits from integration type 900, and task type930 inherits from integration type 910. As previously described, tasktypes 920 and 930 can each define a specific type of task. Two tasks,tasks 940 and 950 can also be defined for the financial close managementframework, within a template, template 960. While in the illustratedembodiment, the two tasks are defined within a template, in an alternateembodiment, tasks can be defined for the financial close managementframework within a schedule, rather than a template. Task 940 inheritsfrom task type 920 and can call either a service or an interface ofexternal application 980. Task 950 inherits from task type 930 and cancall either a service or an interface of external application 990. Asone of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, any number of tasksand task types can be defined for the financial close managementframework, with any number of tasks inheriting from a given task type.Furthermore, any number of tasks can be defined within a schedule orwithin a template.

According to the embodiment, template 960 can be defined for thefinancial close management framework. As previously described, atemplate is a set of tasks. In the illustrated embodiment, template 960can include tasks 940 and 950. As one of ordinary skill in the art wouldappreciate, any number of templates can be defined for the financialclose management framework, and a template can include any number oftasks.

According to the embodiment, template 960 is expressed in schedule 970.Thus, schedule 970 inherits tasks 940 and 950, which can call either aservice or an interface of external applications 980, and 990,respectively. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, anynumber of schedules can be defined for the financial close managementframework, and a template can be expressed in any number of schedules.

One integration type is an end user task integration type thatintegrates a task that requires the user to interact with a userinterface of an external application with the financial close managementsystem. An example of a user interaction with a user interface of anexternal application is entering data into a data grid in HyperionFinancial Management. Another example of a user interaction with a userinterface of an external application is executing a report in HyperionFinancial Reporting. According to an embodiment of the invention, inorder to integrate an end user task with the financial close managementsystem, the task can be exposed as a directly callable web applicationURL endpoint. From the perspective of a user of the financial closemanagement system, the end user task integration type can provide abutton to bring the user to a page to perform the task. In oneembodiment, the financial close management system can launch the page asa new tab in a workspace. In another embodiment, the financial closemanagement system can launch a new browser window, where the browserwindow is configured to access the Internet. According to theembodiment, the task is completed when a user submits the work in thefinancial close management system, and (optionally) the work isapproved.

FIG. 10 illustrates an end user task integration type according to anembodiment of the invention. FIG. 10 illustrates integration type 1000,task type 1010, task 1020, and external application 1030. In theillustrated embodiment, integration type 1000 is an end user taskintegration type. Thus, task 1020 which is based on task type 1010,which in turn is based on integration type 1000, includes a URL thatdirects a user to external application 1030. Based on this URL, a usercan interact with a user interface of external application 1030, andthus, can complete the component of the task that requires interactionwith external application 1030.

Another integration type is a system automated task integration typethat integrates a task that runs without any user interaction requiredand that automatically interacts with a web service of an externalapplication with the financial close management system. An example ofautomatic interaction with a web service of an external application is aconsolidate process in Hyperion Financial Management. Another example ofautomatic interaction with a web service of an external application is aload data process in Hyperion Financial Management. According to anembodiment, in order to integrate a system automated task with thefinancial close management system, the task can be exposed as anasynchronous web service. In other words, the web service is configuredto be called asynchronously so that the financial close managementsystem is not required to wait for the task to be completed. The systemautomated task is completed, according to an embodiment, when anexternal application returns an indication that the task is completed.

FIG. 11 illustrates a system automated task integration type accordingto an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 11 illustrates integration type1100, task type 1110, task 1120, and external application 1130. In theillustrated embodiment, integration type 1100 is a system automated taskintegration type. Thus, task 1120 which is based on task type 1110,which in turn is based on integration type 1100, includes a name of aweb service of external application 1130. Task 1120 can make anasynchronous call to the web service of external application 1130 inorder to automatically perform its task as defined by a set ofparameters of task 1120. The web service of external application 1130,upon completion of the task, returns an indication to task 1120 that thetask is completed.

FIG. 12 illustrates an integrated task creating an artifact in anexternal application according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG.12 illustrates integration type 1200, task type 1210, task 1220, andexternal application 1230. Task 1220 can perform a task which utilizesexternal application 1230. As previously discussed, the task can includeinteracting with a user interface of external application 1230 via aURL, or making an asynchronous call to a web service of externalapplication 1230. According to the embodiment, artifact 1240 can becreated at external application 1230. As an example, artifact 1240 caninclude a report created by external application 1230. According to theembodiment, external application returns a link to artifact 1240 to task1220. While one artifact, and one link to the artifact, are eachillustrated in FIG. 12, one of ordinary skill in the art would readilyappreciate that any number of artifacts can be created at externalapplication 1230, and that any number of links can be returned to task1220.

FIG. 13 illustrates parameters associated with an integration typeaccording to an embodiment of the invention. Specifically, FIG. 13illustrates an integration type 1300 and a task 1310 that is based onintegration type 1300. Integration type 1300 includes parameters 1301and 1302. Parameters 1301 and 1302 of integration type 1300 representvalues that are sent to an external service provider when a task invokesa web service of an external application. For an end user task, theparameter values are sent as query parameters on an URL used to displaya web module of the external application. For a system automated task,the parameters values are sent as part of a Simple Object AccessProtocol (SOAP) message.

According to the illustrated embodiment, task 1310 also includesparameters 1301 and 1302, but also includes values 1311 and 1312. Thus,according to the embodiment, parameters can be defined for anintegration type, which are inherited by a corresponding task, andparameter values can be defined for the parameters at the correspondingtask.

According to an embodiment, each parameter defined for an integrationtype can have the following attributes: parameter name, parameter code,required flag, parameter order, tooltip and parameter dependencies. Aparameter name is a display name of the parameter. The parameter namecan be displayed next to the parameter when a task is created based onan integration type. A parameter code is an internal name used for theparameter. The parameter code can be used to generate a service requestor URL when the task is processed. The value for a parameter code can bealpha-numeric. The required flag indicates whether or not a parametervalue is required to execute the tasks. The parameter order is a numbervalue indicating an order to display the parameters in a user interfaceof the financial close management system. A tooltip is descriptive textabout the parameter and its usage. The tooltip value can be displayed ifa user “hovers” over the parameter displayed at the user interface ofthe financial close management system. The parameter dependencies are alist of parameters that this parameter is dependent on. For example, ifa parameter is dependent on another parameter (its parent), theparameter can be disabled in the user interface of the financial closemanagement system until the parent parameter has a value.

In addition to the above attributes, a parameter can be of a specificparameter type. Such parameter types include the following: text,number, date, checkbox, static list, dynamic list, options group,document navigator, and dimension selector. A text type is used for atext value. When creating a parameter of this type, a maximum fieldlength and maximum number of text rows can be specified. A number typeis used for a numeric value. When creating a parameter of this type, alower and upper bound of the numeric value can be specified. A date typeis used for a date value. When creating a parameter of this type, alower and upper bound can be specified. When a parameter of this type isdisplayed in a user interface of the financial close management system,the user can have the ability to use a date picker control. A checkboxtype is used for a Boolean value. In the user interface of the financialclose management system, a parameter of this type can be displayed as acheckbox control. A static list type is used for a pre-defined set oftext values. A user can choose from the set of values using the userinterface of the financial close management system. A dynamic list typeis used for a dynamic set of text values, which can be determined atruntime, and is described below in more detail. An options group type isused for a pre-defined set of values, where a user can chose multiplevalues from the set. A document navigator type is used for ahierarchical set of values (e.g., folders and documents), which can bedetermined at runtime, and is described below in more detail. Adimension selector type is used for a pre-determined set of dimensionvalues, and is described below in more detail.

According to an embodiment, a dynamic list parameter type represents aflat set of values that has an associated web service of an externalapplication to provide a valid list of values. Thus, a dynamic listparameter has values that can be determined at run time. As an example,a task can require a name of a report and the list of valid reports canbe retrieved from an external application by calling a web service. Ifthe report name parameter is defined as a dynamic list parameter, thefinancial close management system can use an external application's webservice to retrieve a list of values for a user to select from. Thus,instead of having to manually enter the name of a report, the end userwill have a valid list of reports to select from.

According to the embodiment, to provide this functionality, thefinancial close management system needs to know how to call theappropriate web service. Thus, the following attributes can be definedfor each dynamic list parameter type: Web Service Description Language(WDSL) location, namespace, port, name, SOAP action, response element,and response transform. The WSDL location is a URL for a web service'sWDSL. The namespace is the namespace of the web service. The port is theweb service port type, as defined in the WSDL. The name is the webservice name, as defined in the WSDL. The SOAP action is the SOAP actionfor the web service. The response element is the name of the SOAPresponse Extensible Markup Language (XML) element that contains theparameter value. The response transform is an Extensible StylesheetLanguage Transformation (XLST) string to transform a response XML into avalid form.

According to an embodiment, a document navigator parameter type issimilar to the dynamic list parameter type in that the valid set ofvalues can be retrieved from an external application at runtime.However, the document navigator parameter type represents a hierarchicalset of values instead of a flat list. Thus, as an example, a documentnavigator parameter type can be used to represent documents and theirfolders.

A document navigator parameter type can have the same attributes as thedynamic list parameter type to define an associated web service. Inaddition to those attributes, the document navigator parameter type canalso include the following attributes: parameter path code, one timequery flag, parent folder parameter, item type web service, and itemtype filter parameter. A parameter path code is a path to a value of ahierarchical set of values. A one time query flag used to determinewhether the web service returns an entire hierarchy in a single call. Ifa web service returns the entire hierarchy in a single call, the onetime query flag can be set to a value of “Y.” Likewise, if the webservice returns the hierarchy one level at a time, the one time queryflag can be set to a value of “N.” A parent folder parameter is a webservice parameter that indicates where a financial close managementsystem should place a parent folder name. If the web service is not a“one time query” service (i.e., if the one time query flag is set to“Y”) then the financial close management system will send a parentfolder to the web service to provide the hierarchical context on eachcall. An item type web service is an additional web service that can beused to list out valid item types, when the items returned by anassociated web service are segregated into types. An item type filterparameter is the item type to filter on if the item types can befiltered.

According to an embodiment, a dimension selector parameter type allows auser to select dimension values (such as a year or a period). Thedimension selector parameter type can include a dimension selector URLand a dimension selector selection. The dimension selector URL is a URLof an external application's dimension selector user interface. Thedimension selector selection is an XML string stating which dimensionsare selectable, and whether the parameter type allows multipleselections.

An execution of an integrated task, such as an end user task and asystem automated task, will now be described in more detail.

For an end user task, a financial close management system uses adirectly callable external web application URL to execute the end usertask. The URL can display the external user interface associated withthe end user task. An example format of the URL, according to anembodiment of the invention, is:

{protocol}://{server}:{port}/{context}/{page}?{param1}$PARAM1$&{param2}=$PARAM2$. . .

According to the embodiment, the values for $PARAM1$, $PARAM2$, etc.,can be filled in by the financial close management system with parametercodes that match based on the integration type definition. An exampleURL, utilizing the above format, is as follows:

http://rptsvr:80/reportingapp/viewReport.jsp?reportName=$PARAM1$

In the above example, a “reportName” parameter code can be defined inthe integration type. The financial close management system can use thevalue for the “reportName” parameter in place of $PARAM1$.

For a system automated task, a financial close management system usesendpoint information for an external web service. The web serviceendpoint information can be specified in an integration type's WSDLlocation element. An example format of the web service endpointinformation, according to an embodiment of the invention, is:

{protocol}://{server}:{port}/{context}/{service}?WDSL

An example web service endpoint information, utilizing the above format,is as follows:

http://rptsvr:80/reportingService/ReportService?WSDL

In addition to the WSDL location, the integration type can describe theweb service detail using the following information: service name,service namespace, service operation, and service port type. The servicename is the name of the service being called. In other words, theservice name is the name of the web service defined in the WSDL (i.e.,<wsdl:definitions name=“Service Name”>). The service namespace is thenamespace associated with the web service. The namespace is defined inthe WSDL (i.e., <wsdl:definitions name=“Service Name”targetNamespace=“Service Namespace”>). The service operation is the nameof the method to call on the web service. The service operation is alsodefined in the WSDL (i.e., <wsdl:operationname=“Operation Name”>). Theservice port type is the port definition for the web service. The porttype is also defined in the WSDL (i.e., <wsdl:portType name=“ServicePort Type”>).

An integrated task, such as a system automated task and an end usertask, can also handle security for the task to prevent unauthorizedusers from accessing an external application. Security involvesauthentication and authorization. Authentication is the process ofverifying an identity of a user, and verifying that the user is atrusted user. Authorization is the process of verifying that anauthenticated user has the authority to perform a certain operation.

For a system automated task, a financial close management system canrely on a Web Services Security (WS-Security) standard to establish anidentity of a user when making web service calls. WS-Security is anextension to SOAP that can apply security to web services through theuse of various security token formats, such as Security Assertion MarkupLanguage (SAML), Kerberos, and X.509. An external web service that isintegrated with the financial close management server can supportWS-Security and SAML based tokens for authentication. According to anembodiment, with SAML tokens, a trust relationship is establishedbetween the financial close management system and an externalapplication through an exchange of certificates. This allows thefinancial close management system to invoke a system automated taskusing credentials such as a user's credentials or an assignee'scredentials. According to the embodiment, a public key of the financialclose management system can be imported into an external application'skeystore, and a public key of the external application can be importedinto a keystore of the financial close management system. Also accordingto the embodiment, while the financial close management system canhandle authentication of a user, the financial close management systemcan let the external application handle authorization of a user.

For an end user task, a financial close management system can supportsingle sign-on (SSO) with an external application, if that applicationis integrated with a SSO framework utilized by the financial closemanagement system. According to an embodiment, when invoking an end usertask, the financial close management system can include a SSO token inthe URL if the task includes a SSO token replacement parameter. Theexternal application can receive the SSO token and use it to launch theend user task. In an alternate embodiment, if the external applicationdoes not support the integration described above, the financial closemanagement system can invoke the end user task URL without providing anyuser credentials. In this embodiment, the external application canprompt the user for credentials before displaying the end user task.

According to an embodiment, a system automated task supportsasynchronous invocation. Asynchronous invocation, as understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art, is a type of web service invocation thatallows other processing to continue before the invoked service returns aresponse. Also according to the embodiment, a web service can have twoport types, where each port type performs a one-way operation. One portresponds to the web service request and the second port calls back intoa financial close management system with a response. In addition to thetwo port types, according to the embodiment, the web service can acceptWeb Security Addressing (WS-Addressing) based reply information. TheWS-Addressing headers can be used by the web service to direct responsesto the correct callback service.

A handling of a web service response by an integrated task, such as anend user task and a system automated task, will now be described in moredetail.

According to an embodiment, there are three types of web services that afinancial close management system can receive a response from. Thesethree types of web services include: a web service that executes asystem automated task, a web service that provides a list of values fora dynamic list parameter type, and a web service that provides ahierarchical list of values for a document navigator parameter type.When invoked, each of the services described above responds with anXML-based SOAP message. The data types returned may be different basedon the external application. A financial close management system canprovide a mechanism to translate the response XML into a formatunderstandable by the financial close management system. Morespecifically, for a web service defined in an integration type, an XLSTstring can be specified to take the actual web service response andtranslate it into a response expected by a financial close managementsystem.

The following paragraphs describe the response XML expected for each ofthe web service types.

For a system automated task, according to an embodiment of theinvention, a schema for a response XML, or XML schema document (XSD)that is transmitted by the web service, is as follows:

<xs:schema xmlns:xs=“http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema”elementFormDefault=“qualified”> <xs:simpleType name=“resultValue”><xs:restriction base=“xs:string”> <xs:enumeration value=“Success”/><xs:enumeration value=“Failure”/> </xs:restriction> </xs:simpleType><xs:element name=“TaskResult”> <xs:complexType> <xs:sequence><xs:element ref=“Result”/> <xs:element ref=“LogLocation”/> <xs:elementref=“Messages”/> </xs:sequence> </xs:complexType> </xs:element><xs:element name=“Result” type=“resultValue”/> <xs:elementname=“LogLocation” type=“xs:anyURI”/> <xs:element name=“Messages”><xs:complexType> <xs:sequence> <xs:element ref=“Message”/></xs:sequence> </xs:complexType> </xs:element> <xs:elementname=“Message” type=“xs:string”/> </xs:schema>

According to an embodiment, an example response XML for a systemautomated task is as follows:

<TaskResult> <Result>Success</Result><LogLocation>http://RptSvr1/ReportApp/ViewLog.jsp?LogID=1234</LogLocation><Messages> <Message>The report ran successfully.</Message> </Messages></TaskResult>

For a dynamic list parameter type, according to an embodiment of theinvention, an XSD that is transmitted by the web service, is as follows:

<xs:element name=″selectItem″ maxOccurs=″unbounded″> <xs:complexType><xs:sequence> <xs:element name=″code″ type=″xs:string″ minOccurs=”1”maxOccurs=”1”/> <xs:element name=″name″ type=″xs:string″ minOccurs=”1”maxOccurs=”1”/> </xs:sequence> </xs:complexType> </xs:element>

According to an embodiment, an example response XML for a dynamic listparameter type is as follows:

<selectItem> <code>SEL1</code> <name>Selection Item 1</name></selectItem> <selectItem> <code>SEL2</code> <name>Selection Item2</name> </selectItem> <selectItem> <code>SEL3</code> <name>SelectionItem 3</name> </selectItem>

For a document navigator parameter type, according to an embodiment ofthe invention, an XSD that is transmitted by the web service, is asfollows:

<xs:schema xmlns:xs=“http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema”elementFormDefault=“qualified”> <xs:element name=“listing”><xs:complexType> <xs:sequence> <xs:element ref=“folders”/> <xs:elementref=“documents”/> </xs:sequence> <xs:attribute name=“folder”use=“optional” type=“xs:NCName”/> </xs:complexType> </xs:element><xs:element name=“folders”> <xs:complexType> <xs:sequence> <xs:elementref=“folder”/> </xs:sequence> </xs:complexType> </xs:element><xs:element name=“folder”> <xs:complexType> <xs:attributename=“description” use=“optional”/> <xs:attribute name=“id”use=“required” type=“xs:NCName”/> <xs:attribute name=“name”use=“required”/> </xs:complexType> </xs:element> <xs:elementname=“documents”> <xs:complexType> <xs:sequence> <xs:elementmaxOccurs=“unbounded” ref=“document”/> </xs:sequence> </xs:complexType></xs:element> <xs:element name=“document”> <xs:complexType><xs:attribute name=“description” use=“optional”/> <xs:attributename=“id” use=“required” type=“xs:NCName”/> <xs:attribute name=“name”use=“required”/> <xs:attribute name=“type” use=“optional”type=“xs:integer”/> </xs:complexType> </xs:element> </xs:schema>

According to an embodiment, an example response XML for a documentnavigator parameter type is as follows:

<listing> <folders> <folder id=”folder1” name=”Folder 1”description=”Folder 1 Description”/> <folder id=”folder2” name=”Folder2” description=”Folder 1 Description”/> </folders> </listing> <listingfolder=”folder1”> <folders> <folder id=”folder3” name=”Folder 3”description=”Folder 3 Description”/> </folders> <documents> <documentid=”doc1” type=”1” name=”Document 1” description=”Doc 1 description”/><document id=”doc2” type=”5” name=”Document 2”/> <document id=”doc3”type=”5” name=”Document 3”/> </documents> </listing>

A process of creating integration types will now be described in moredetail. According to an embodiment, a user can create one or moreintegration types within a financial close management system by addingand editing the integration types directly in a user interface of thefinancial close management system.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system according to an embodiment of the invention. The userinterface can display name 1400, application 1410, and execution type1420. Name 1400 indicates a name of each integration type. Application1410 indicates an external application associated with each integrationtype. Execution type 1420 indicates a type of each integration type.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system configured to allow a user to create or edit anintegration type according to an embodiment of the invention. The userinterface displays a screen that identifies attributes of a new orexisting integration type. In the illustrated embodiment, the userinterface displays name 1500, integration type code 1510, description1520, application 1530, execution type 1540, and end user endpoint 1550.Name 1500 identifies a display name of the integration type. Integrationtype code 1510 uniquely identifies the integration type anddistinguishes the integration type from other integration types.Description 1520 indicates a general description associated with theintegration type. Application 1530 identifies an external applicationthat integration type is identified with. Execution type 1540 definesthe type of integration, either “end user task” or “system automatedtask.” End user endpoint 1550 identifies a directly callable webapplication URL endpoint, used to access an external application, whenthe integration type is an end user task integration type. According toan embodiment, a user can utilize the user interface to create (or edit)an integration type by entering (or modifying) attributes for theintegration type.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system configured to allow a user to create or edit aparameter for an integration type according to an embodiment of theinvention. The user interface displays a screen that identifiesparameters for an integration type. In the illustrated embodiment, theuser interface displays name 1600, parameter type 1610, description1620, and required 1630. Name 1600 is a display name of the parameter.Parameter type 1610 indicates a type of the parameter. Description 1620indicates a general description associated with the integration type.Required 1630 indicates whether or not a parameter value is required toexecute a task associated with the parameter. According to anembodiment, a user can utilize the user interface to create (or edit) aparameter of an integration type by entering (or modifying) attributesfor the parameter.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a user can create oneor more integration types within a financial close management system bycreating an integration XML document. The XML document can contain allof the integration types associated with an external application beingintegrated. According to the embodiment, the following XML schema canrepresent a structure and content for an integration XML document:

<?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“UTF-8”?> <xs:schemaxmlns:xs=“http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema”elementFormDefault=“qualified”xmlns:xsl=“http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform”> <xs:elementname=“integrationTypes”> <xs:complexType>  <xs:sequence> <xs:elementname=“application” maxOccurs=“1” minOccurs=“0”>  <xs:complexType><xs:attribute name=“applicationName” use=“required” type=“xs:string”/><xs:attribute name=“webAppName” use=“required” type=“xs:string”/> </xs:complexType> </xs:element> <xs:element name=“integrationType”maxOccurs=“unbounded” minOccurs=“1”>  <xs:complexType> <xs:sequence> <xs:element name=“responseXSLTemplate” type=“xs:string” maxOccurs=“1” minOccurs=“0”/>  <xs:element name=“responseNamespace” type=“xs:anyURI”maxOccurs=“1”  minOccurs=“0”/>  <xs:element name=“name”maxOccurs=“unbounded” minOccurs=“1”> <xs:complexType mixed=“true”> <xs:attribute name=“language” use=“required” type=“xs:string”/></xs:complexType> 13  </xs:element>  <xs:element name=“description”maxOccurs=“unbounded” minOccurs=“1”> <xs:complexType mixed=“true”> <xs:attribute name=“language” use=“required” type=“xs:string”/></xs:complexType>  </xs:element>  <xs:element name=“parameter”maxOccurs=“unbounded” minOccurs=“0”> <xs:complexType>  <xs:sequence><xs:element name=“xsltTransformation” type=“xs:string” maxOccurs=“1”minOccurs=“0”/> <xs:element name=“dimSelectorSelection” maxOccurs=“1”minOccurs=“0”>  <xs:complexType> <xs:sequence>  <xs:elementname=“Parameters”> <xs:complexType>  <xs:sequence> <xs:elementname=“ParameterNames”>  <xs:complexType> <xs:sequence>  <xs:elementname=“ParameterName” maxOccurs=“unbounded”> <xs:complexType> <xs:sequence> <xs:element name=“Name” type=“xs:string” maxOccurs=“1”minOccurs=“1”/> <xs:element name=“Value” type=“xs:string” maxOccurs=“1”minOccurs=“1”/>  </xs:sequence> </xs:complexType>  </xs:element></xs:sequence>  </xs:complexType> </xs:element>  </xs:sequence></xs:complexType>  </xs:element> </xs:sequence>  </xs:complexType></xs:element> <xs:element name=“dependency” maxOccurs=“unbounded”minOccurs=“0”>  <xs:complexType> <xs:attribute name=“parameterCode”use=“required” type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“parameterName”use=“required” type=“xs:string”/>  </xs:complexType> </xs:element><xs:element name=“name” maxOccurs=“1” minOccurs=“1”>  <xs:complexTypemixed =“true”> <xs:attribute name=“language” use=“required”type=“xs:string”/> 14  </xs:complexType> </xs:element> <xs:elementname=“selectItem” maxOccurs=“unbounded” minOccurs=“0”>  <xs:complexType><xs:sequence>  <xs:element name=“name” maxOccurs=“unbounded”minOccurs=“1”> <xs:complexType mixed=“true”>  <xs:attributename=“language” use=“required” type=“xs:string”/> </xs:complexType> </xs:element> </xs:sequence> <xs:attribute name=“order” use=“required”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“selectItemCode” use=“required”type=“xs:string”/>  </xs:complexType> </xs:element> <xs:elementname=“docNavDocTypeXsltTransformation” type=“xs:string” maxOccurs=“1”minOccurs=“0”/> </xs:sequence> <xs:attribute name=“SOAPAction”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“dimSelectorURL”type=“xs:anyURI”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavDocTypeName”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavDocTypeParameter”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavDocTypePort”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavDocTypeRespElement”type=“xs:NMTOKEN”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavDocTypeSOAPAction”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavDocTypeURI”type=“xs:anyURI”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavDocTypeWSDLLoc”type=“xs:anyURI”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavFolderParameter”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“docNavOneTimeQuery”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“multiselect”>  <xs:simpleType><xs:restriction base=“xs:string”>  <xs:enumeration value=“Y”/> <xs:enumeration value=“N”/> </xs:restriction>  </xs:simpleType></xs:attribute> <xs:attribute name=“order” use=“required”type=“xs:integer”/> <xs:attribute name=“parameterCode” use=“required”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“parameterPathCode”type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“parameterType” use=“required”> <xs:simpleType> <xs:restriction base=“xs:string”>  <xs:enumerationvalue=“TEXT”/>  <xs:enumeration value=“INTEGER”/>  <xs:enumerationvalue=“NUMBER”/>  <xs:enumeration value=“DATE”/> 15  <xs:enumerationvalue=“BOOLEAN”/>  <xs:enumeration value=“LOV”/>  <xs:enumerationvalue=“DYNLOV”/>  <xs:enumeration value=“RADIO”/>  <xs:enumerationvalue=“USER”/>  <xs:enumeration value=“POV”/>  <xs:enumerationvalue=“DOCNAV”/> </xs:restriction>  </xs:simpleType> </xs:attribute><xs:attribute name=“required” use=“required”>  <xs:simpleType><xs:restriction base=“xs:string”>  <xs:enumeration value=“Y”/> <xs:enumeration value=“N”/> </xs:restriction>  </xs:simpleType></xs:attribute> <xs:attribute name=“serviceName” type=“xs:string”/><xs:attribute name=“serviceNamespace” type=“xs:anyURI”/> <xs:attributename=“servicePort” type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attributename=“serviceResponseElement” type=“xs:NMTOKEN”/> <xs:attributename=“serviceWSDLLoc” type=“xs:anyURI”/>  </xs:complexType></xs:element>  </xs:sequence>  <xs:attribute name=“applicationCode”use=“required” type=“xs:string”/>  <xs:attributename=“callbackOperation” type=“xs:string”/>  <xs:attributename=“callbackPortType” type=“xs:string”/>  <xs:attributename=“endUserURL” type=“xs:anyURI”/>  <xs:attribute name=“executionType”use=“required”> <xs:simpleType>  <xs:restriction base=“xs:string”><xs:enumeration value=“S”/> <xs:enumeration value=“U”/>  </xs:restriction > </xs:simpleType>  </xs:attribute>  <xs:attributename=“integrationTypeCode” use=“required” type=“xs:string”/> <xs:attribute name=“serviceName” type=“xs:string”/>  <xs:attributename=“serviceNamespace” type=“xs:anyURI”/>  <xs:attributename=“serviceOperation” type=“xs:string”/>  <xs:attributename=“servicePortType” type=“xs:string”/>  <xs:attributename=“serviceWSDLLoc” type=“xs:anyURI”/>  <xs:attributename=“userCreated” use=“required”> <xs:simpleType>  <xs:restrictionbase=“xs:string”> <xs:enumeration value=“Y”/> 16 <xs:enumerationvalue=“N”/>  </xs: restriction> </xs:simpleType>  </xs:attribute></xs:complexType>  </xs:element> </xs:sequence>  </xs:complexType></xs:element> </xs:schema>

According to the embodiment, the example XML schema includes thefollowing elements: integrationType, name, description, parameter,selectItem, and dependency. The integrationType parameter is a rootelement of an XML tree and describes one integration type in a financialclose management system. The name element can be used to store atranslated name of each integration type. There can be a localized nameelement for each language supported by the financial close managementsystem. The description element can be used to store a translateddescription of each integration type. There can be a localizeddescription element for each language supported by the financial closemanagement system. The parameter element describes one parameter of anintegration type. The selectItem element describes one element in aselectable list for a list of values type parameter or a radio typeparameter. The dependency element indicates that one parameter isdependent on another parameter. Each element may have one or moreattributes that further define the element.

In accordance with an embodiment, the integration XML document can alsodescribe an external application that each integration type isassociated with. Attributes of the external application include name andinternal parameters.

According to the embodiment, after an integration XML document has beencreated, the XML document can be loaded into a financial closemanagement system to create or update integration types in the system.

According to an embodiment of the invention, an example integration XMLdocument is provided, as follows:

<?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“UTF-8”?> <integrationTypesxmlns:msxsl=“urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xslt”xmlns:fcmns1=“http://reports.xyz.com”> <applicationapplicationName=“Sample”/> <integrationTypeintegrationTypeCode=“RUNREPORT” applicationCode=“Sample”executionType=“S” userCreated=“N”serviceNamespace=“http://reports.xyz.com”serviceWSDLLoc=“http://rptsvr:80/reportingService/ReportService?WSDL”serviceName=“ReportService” servicePortType=“ReportService”callbackPortType=“ReportServiceResponse” serviceOperation=“runReport”callbackOperation=“RunReportResponse”> <responseXSLTemplate> <![CDATA[<xsl:template match=“return”> <fcmns1:TaskResult> <fcmns1:Result><xsl:choose> <xsl:when test=“resultCode = ‘Success’”>Success</xsl:when><xsl:otherwise>Failure</xsl:otherwise> </xsl:choose> </fcmns1:Result><fcmns1:LogLocation> <xsl:value-of select=“resultLogPath”/> 23</fcmns1:LogLocation> <fcmns1:Messages> <fcmns1:Message> <fcmns1:Value><xsl:value-of select=“resultMessage”/> </fcmns1:Value> </fcmns1:Message></fcmns1:Messages> </fcmns1:TaskResult> </xsl:template> ]]></responseXSLTemplate> <name language=“en” countryCode=“US”>RunReport</name> description language=“en” countryCode=“US”> Run ReportAutomated Task </description> <parameter parameterCode=“reportName”required=“Y”  parameterType=“DYNLOV” order=“1” serviceWSDLLoc=“http://rptsvr:80/reportingService/ReportListingService?WSDL” serviceNamespace=“http://reports.xyz.com”serviceName=“ReportListingService” servicePort=“ReportListingServicePortType” serviceResponseElement=“ns0:getReportsResponse”SOAPAction=“getReports”> <name language=“en” countryCode=“US”>ReportName</name> <xsltTransformation> <xsl:stylesheetxmlns:xsl=“http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform”xmlns:ns0=“http://reports.xyz.com” version=“1.0”> <xsl:templatematch=“ns0:getReportsResponse”> <selectItems> <xsl:for-eachselect=“return”> <selectItem> <code> <xsl:value-of select=“.”/> </code><name> <xsl:value-of select=“.”/> </name> </selectItem> </xsl:for-each></selectItems> </xsl:template> </xsl:stylesheet> </xsltTransformation></parameter> </integrationType> <integrationTypeintegrationTypeCode=“VIEWREPORT” applicationCode=“Sample” executionType=“U” userCreated=“N” endUserURL=“http://rptsvr:80/reportingApp/ViewReport.jsp?reportName= $REPORTNAME$”> <name language=“en” countryCode=“US”>ManageDocuments</name> 24 description language=“en” countryCode=“US”>ViewReport UI Task</description> <parameter parameterCode=“REPORTNAME”required=“Y”  parameterType=“DYNLOV” order=“1” serviceWSDLLoc=“http://rptsvr:80/reportingService/ReportListingService?WSDL” serviceNamespace=“http://reports.xyz.com”serviceName=“ReportListingService” servicePort=“ReportListingServiceReportType” serviceResponseElement=“ns0:getReportsResponse”SOAPAction=“getReports”> <name language=“en” countryCode=“US”>ReportName</name> <xsltTransformation> <xsl:stylesheetxmlns:xsl=“http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform”xmlns:ns0=“http://reports.xyz.com” version=“1.0”> <xsl:templatematch=“ns0:getReportsResponse”> <selectItems> <xsl:for-eachselect=“return”> <selectItem> <code> <xsl:value-of select=“.”/> </code><name> <xsl:value-of select=“.”/> </name> </selectItem> </xsl:for-each></selectItems> </xsl:template> </xsl:stylesheet> </xsltTransformation></parameter> </integrationType> </integrationTypes>

According to the above example, the first integration type, RUNREPORT,points to an external web service for running an automated report on thehttp://rptsvr:80/reportingService/ReportingService web service. The webservice method runReport takes a single parameter reportName thatidentifies the report to run. The available reports can be listed by auser interface by calling thehttp://rptsvr:80/reportingService/ReportingService web service methodgetReports as defined in the integration type.

Also according to the above example, the second integration type,VIEWREPORT, points to an end user user interface module at the URLhttp://rptsvr1:80/reportingApp/ViewReport.jsp. When called in a browserconfigured to access the Internet, the URL display the report for theend user. The ViewReport URL also takes a single parameter REPORTNAMEvia the URL. The actual REPORTNAME value is replaced when the URL islaunched. The available reports will be listed by the user interface bycalling the getReports web service method as defined in the integrationtype.

According to the example, if the results from the runReport andgetReports methods are in a format expected by the financial closemanagement system, associated XSL templates can be included in theintegration type definition, as shown above.

FIG. 17 illustrates a flow diagram of the functionality of a financialclose management module according to an embodiment of the invention. Inone embodiment, the functionality of the flow diagram of FIG. 17, aswell as FIG. 35 and FIG. 47, is implemented by software stored in memoryor other computer-readable or tangible media, and executed by aprocessor. In other embodiments, each functionality may be performed byhardware (e.g., through the use of an application specific integratedcircuit (“ASIC”), a programmable gate array (“PGA”), a fieldprogrammable gate array (“FPGA”), etc.), or any combination of hardwareand software.

At 1710, an integration type is created in a financial close managementsystem. According to the embodiment, an integration type includes areusable definition that describes an action and a set of parametersthat can be used to interface with an external application. At 1720, atask type is created based on the integration type in the financialclose management system. According to the embodiment, a task typedefines a type of task that can be performed in the financial closemanagement system. At 1730, a task is created based on the task type inthe financial close management system. According to the embodiment, atask is a component of a financial close process. At 1740, the task isexecuted in the financial close management system. According to theembodiment, the task interfaces with the external application using theintegration type.

Thus, according to an embodiment of the invention, tasks of a financialmanagement system can be associated with an external application throughan integration framework that utilizes integration types. In accordancewith the embodiment, the integration framework can allow a user toleverage services from external applications as part of a process flow,and thus, provides a single application to manage all the activities ofthe process flow.

Managing Schedules

One embodiment of the invention is directed towards managing schedules.As previously described, a schedule is a core object of a financialclose management system, and is an expression of a template. Accordingto the embodiment, managing a schedule can include creating a newschedule, modifying an existing schedule, deleting an existing schedule,duplicating an existing schedule, validating an existing schedule,creating a template from an existing schedule, setting a status of anexisting schedule, and importing and exporting an existing schedule. Inaddition, according to the embodiment, managing a schedule can includedefining task type parameters that can be set during scheduling andsetting task parameters of a schedule at a schedule level rather than atask level.

As described above, a schedule is an expression of a template, which isan ordered set of tasks. A schedule can inherit from a template,including all the tasks of the template, and assigns each task to aparticular point in time on a calendar (such as date). A schedule canhave one of four statuses: Pending, Open, Closed, and Locked. The statusof Pending indicates that the schedule has been created, but is not yetactive. The status of Open indicates that the schedule is active, thatthe schedule is open for work to be performed, and that tasks in theschedule can be run. The status of Closed indicates that the schedule isno longer active but follow-up work may be required. In this status,tasks in the schedule continue to proceed based on their definitions,but tasks cannot be added to the schedule. The status of Lockedindicates that the schedule is locked, that tasks in the schedule areforced to complete, and that only an administrator can modify theschedule or its tasks. In this status, a user cannot modify the scheduleor its tasks, but can only view and delete the schedule.

According to an embodiment, when a schedule is created in a financialclose management system, the schedule can have a default status ofPending. The default status of Pending allows adjustments to be made tothe schedule. To run a schedule, the status of the schedule can bechanged from Pending to Open. When the schedule has a status of Open,tasks can execute according to their definition. The status of theschedule can be changed to Closed after all tasks of the schedule arecompleted, or after it is determined that no new tasks should be addedto the schedule.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a status of a schedule candetermine, in part, how a schedule can be managed. Specifically, thestatus of the schedule can determine, in part, what type ofmodifications can be made to an existing schedule. Specific types ofmodifications that can be made to an existing schedule will be discussedbelow in more detail. FIG. 18 illustrates different statuses of aschedule according to an embodiment of the invention. Specifically, FIG.18 illustrates four instances of a schedule, schedule 1800, where eachinstance of schedule 1800 has one of the following statuses: Pending,Open, Closed, and Locked. In the instance of schedule 1800 where thestatus is Pending, schedule 1800 has been created, but is not yetactive, which means that none of the tasks of schedule 1800 havestarted. Thus, schedule 1800 can be modified in any way, as no initiatedtasks will be affected by the modifications to schedule 1800. Thus, asillustrated in FIG. 18, the financial close management system can allowa user to make any type of modification to schedule 1800. However, inthe instance of schedule 1800 where the status is Open, schedule 1800 isactive, and one or more tasks of schedule 1800 have started to run.Thus, schedule 1800 can only be modified in a way that does not affectthe tasks of schedule 1800 that have started to run. Thus, asillustrated in FIG. 18, the financial close management system onlyallows a user to perform one of the following modifications: create anew task for schedule 1800, modify any task of schedule 1800 that hasnot begun, or delete any task of schedule 1800 that has not begun.

In the instance of schedule 1800 where the status is Closed, schedule1800 is in an administrative status where no modifications to schedule1800 are permitted. Specifically, no additional tasks can be added, noexisting tasks can be modified, and existing tasks can complete. Anytasks that have not yet run continue to execute according to schedule1800. In the instance of schedule 1800 where the status is Locked, nomodifications to schedule 1800 are permitted, and all tasks are forcedto a completed status. Any tasks that have not yet run will not execute.

Thus, according to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 18, the ability tomodify an existing schedule is restricted as the schedule proceeds froma status of Pending, to a status of Open, to a status of Closed, and toa status of Locked. Furthermore, according to the embodiment, asillustrated in FIG. 18 through the use of arrows, a schedule can movefrom a status of Pending to a status of Open, can move from a status ofOpen to a status of Closed, can move from a status of Closed to a statusof Locked, can move from a status of Pending to a status of Closed, andcan move from a status of Pending to a status of Locked, where a user ofa financial close management system can change the status of theschedule. According to the embodiment, a schedule can also move from astatus of Closed back to a status of Open, or from a status of Lockedback to a status of Open, but only an administrator of a financial closemanagement system can change the status of the schedule from Closed orLocked back to Open.

Methods for creating a new schedule will now be described in moredetail.

FIG. 19 illustrates a method of creating a schedule according to anembodiment of the invention. According to the illustrated embodiment, aschedule can be created manually. In the illustrated embodiment, at1900, a new schedule is created. More specifically, a new scheduleobject is created in the financial close management system in responseto an indication by a user to create the new schedule object. At 1910,attributes of the schedule are set. More specifically, attributes of theschedule are set by the user. In an example embodiment, the attributesof the schedule can include a schedule name, a schedule description, astart date, an end date, a year, a period, and a schedule owner. At1920, a status of the schedule is set. More specifically, according toan embodiment of the invention, the status of the schedule is set to oneof the four statuses described above: Pending, Open, Closed, or Locked.According to an embodiment of the invention, a user can create aschedule by selecting a button displayed on a user interface of thefinancial close management screen which displays a “Manage Schedules”screen on the user interface. An example of a “Manage Schedules” screendisplayed by the user interface is described in relation to FIG. 31below.

FIG. 20 illustrates another method of creating a schedule according toan embodiment of the invention. According to the illustrated embodiment,a schedule can be created automatically from a template, where theschedule inherits tasks from the template. In the illustratedembodiment, at 2000, a template is selected. More specifically,according to an embodiment of the invention, an existing template withinthe financial close management system is selected by a user. At 2010,the template is validated. More specifically, according to theembodiment, the financial close management system determines that thetemplate complies with a set of business rules defined within thefinancial close management system. At 2020, a schedule is created fromthe selected template. The creating the schedule from the selectedtemplate can include copying each task of the selected template. Morespecifically, according to the embodiment, a financial close managementsystem can align offset days to calendar dates based on a “Day Zero”date that is entered by a user and assigned to one or more tasks of thetemplate assigned an offset day of 0. As previously described, one ormore tasks of a template are assigned an offset day of 0 in thetemplate. All tasks that precede the one or more tasks assigned anoffset day of 0 are assigned offset days that are negative numbers inthe template, and all tasks that succeed the one or more tasks assignedan offset day of 0 are assigned offset days that are positive numbers inthe template. When the schedule is created from the selected template,the one or more tasks of the template assigned an offset day of 0 arescheduled for the “Day Zero” date entered by the user in the schedule.The tasks of the template assigned negative numbers are scheduled forthe corresponding dates before the “Day Zero” date in the schedule. Forexample, all tasks of the template assigned an offset day of −1 arescheduled for a date that is one day before the “Day Zero” date in theschedule, all tasks of the template assigned an offset day of −2 arescheduled for a date that is two days before the “Day Zero” date in theschedule, and so on. Likewise, the tasks of the template assignedpositive numbers are scheduled for the corresponding dates after the“Day Zero” date in the schedule. For example, all tasks of the templateassigned an offset day of 1 are scheduled for a date that is one dayafter the “Day Zero” date” in the schedule, all tasks of the templateassigned an offset day of 2 are scheduled for a date that is two daysafter the “Day Zero” date in the schedule, and so on.

In an embodiment, when the schedule is created from the template, a rulecan be enforced so that a task is not scheduled on a date that is aweekend day (i.e., Saturday or Sunday). In this embodiment, each task ofthe template is scheduled for the first available date based on theassigned offset day, and taking into account the rule that a task cannotbe scheduled on a date that is a weekend day. For example, if a task ofthe template assigned an offset day of 0 is scheduled for a date that isa Friday in the schedule, then a task of the template assigned an offsetdate of 1 is scheduled for a date that is the following Monday in theschedule. Likewise, if a task of the template assigned an offset day of0 is scheduled for a date that is a Monday in the schedule, then a taskof the template assigned an offset date of −1 is scheduled for a datethat is the previous Friday in the schedule.

According to an embodiment, a user can manually align an offset day fora task of the template to a calendar date for the corresponding task inthe schedule. For example, if a template includes a task with an offsetday of 0, and a task with an offset day of 1, a user can manually alignthe task with an offset day of 1, so that the task in the template withan offset day of 1 is scheduled in the schedule on a calendar date thatis a number of days, for example three days, after the task in thetemplate with an offset day of 0.

In accordance with the embodiment, if a task has predecessors in othertemplates, a user can review a list of predecessor tasks and manuallyadjust any predecessor task that requires assignment.

According to the embodiment, the creation of the schedule based on thetemplate can further include setting attributes of the schedule. Morespecifically, attributes of the schedule can be set by the user. In anexample embodiment, the attributes of the schedule can include aschedule name, a schedule description, a start date, an end date, ayear, a period, and a schedule owner.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a user can create aschedule from a template by selecting a button displayed on a userinterface of the financial close management screen which displays a“Manage Schedules” screen on the user interface. An example of a “ManageSchedules” screen displayed by the user interface is described inrelation to FIG. 31 below.

Modifications to an existing schedule will now be described in moredetail.

Modifications to an existing schedule can include adding a task to anexisting schedule, modifying an existing task of an existing schedule,and deleting an existing task of an existing schedule. Thesemodifications are described in relation to FIGS. 21-23.

FIG. 21 illustrates a method of adding a task to a schedule according toan embodiment of the invention. At 2100, an existing schedule isselected in a financial close management system. At 2110, a task isadded to the schedule. According to the embodiment, adding a task to theschedule can include manually creating a task or automatically creatinga task based on a selected task type. In accordance with the embodiment,adding a task to the schedule can include assigning values forattributes of the task. Such attributes can include task name, taskdescription, priority, start date, end date, duration, task owner, andtask assignee. In addition, according to the embodiment, adding a taskto the schedule can include assigning values for parameters of the task.Furthermore, in accordance with the embodiment, adding a task to theschedule can include specifying children tasks below the new task in atask hierarchy. Finally, in accordance with the embodiment, adding atask to the schedule can include setting one or more predecessors forthe new task. According to the embodiment, a predecessor can be fromanother schedule. At 2120, when a status of the schedule is a validstatus, the schedule (with the new task) is saved in the financial closemanagement system. According to the embodiment, for the status of theschedule to be a valid status, the status of the schedule can be astatus of Pending or Open. In contrast, if the status of the schedule isClosed or Locked, the financial close management system can display anerror message in a user interface and refuse to allow the addition of anew task by failing to save the modified schedule in the financial closemanagement system.

FIG. 22 illustrates a method of modifying a task of a schedule accordingto an embodiment of the invention. At 2200, an existing schedule isselected in a financial close management system. At 2210, a task of theschedule is selected. At 2220, the task is modified. In accordance withthe embodiment, modifying the task can include modifying values forattributes of the task. Such attributes can include task name, taskdescription, priority, start date, end date, duration, task owner, andtask assignee. In addition, according to the embodiment, modifying atask to the schedule can include modifying values for parameters of thetask. In one specific embodiment, modifying values for parameters of thetask can be restricted based on a status of the task. For example, astart date parameter can be restricted so that it cannot be changed oncethe task has a status of Open. As another example, a comment parametercan be restricted so that it cannot be edited once the task has a statusof Closed. Furthermore, in accordance with the embodiment, modifying thetask can include modifying children tasks below the new task in a taskhierarchy. Finally, in accordance with the embodiment, modifying a taskto the schedule can include modifying one or more predecessors for thenew task. According to the embodiment, a predecessor can be from anotherschedule. At 2230, when a status of the schedule is a valid status andwhen the task is not currently running, the schedule (with the modifiedtask) is saved in the financial close management system. According tothe embodiment, for the status of the schedule to be a valid status, thestatus of the schedule can be a status of Pending or Open. In contrast,if the status of the schedule is Closed or Locked, the financial closemanagement system can display an error message in a user interface andrefuse to allow the modification of the task by failing to save themodified schedule in the financial close management system. Furthermore,according to the embodiment, the financial close management system candisplay an error message in a user interface and refuse to allow themodification of the task if the task is running at the time of themodification.

FIG. 23 illustrates a method of deleting a task of a schedule accordingto an embodiment of the invention. At 2300, an existing schedule isselected in a financial close management system. At 2310, a task of theschedule is selected. At 2320, the task is deleted. At 2330, when astatus of the schedule is a valid status and when the task is notcurrently running, the schedule (without the deleted task) is saved inthe financial close management system. According to the embodiment, forthe status of the schedule to be a valid status, the status of theschedule can be a status of Pending, or Open. In contrast, if the statusof the schedule is Closed or Locked, the financial close managementsystem can display an error message in a user interface and refuse toallow the deletion of the task by failing to save the modified schedulein the financial close management system. Furthermore, according to theembodiment, the financial close management system can display an errormessage in a user interface and refuse to allow the deletion of the taskif the task is running at the time of the deletion.

Modifications to an existing schedule can also include deleting anexisting schedule. FIG. 24 illustrates a method of deleting a scheduleaccording to an embodiment of the invention. At 2400, an existingschedule is selected in a financial close management system. At 2410,the schedule is deleted from the financial close management system.According to the embodiment of the invention, deleting a scheduleremoves the schedule and all references to it from the financial closemanagement system.

Modifications to an existing schedule can also include duplicating anexisting schedule. FIG. 25 illustrates a method of duplicating aschedule according to an embodiment of the invention. At 2500, anexisting schedule is selected in a financial close management system. At2510, a duplicate schedule is created from the selected schedule.According to an embodiment of the invention, the existing schedule iscopied into a duplicate schedule, which is a separate object in thefinancial close management system. The copying of the existing schedulecan include copying each task of the existing schedule. Optionally, thefinancial close management system can allow a user to modify attributesof the duplicate schedule. At 2520, the task calendar dates of theduplicate schedule are aligned. In accordance with the embodiment of theinvention, the calendar dates of tasks of the duplicate schedule areset, where the calendar dates of the duplicate schedule are differentfrom the calendar dates of the existing schedule.

Modifications to an existing schedule can also include validating aschedule. FIG. 26 illustrates a method of validating a scheduleaccording to an embodiment of the invention. At 2600, a schedule isselected. At 2610, a schedule is validated. More specifically, accordingto the embodiment, the financial close management system determines thatthe schedule complies with a set of business rules defined within thefinancial close management system. At 2620, when the validation of theschedule does not result in any errors, the financial close managementsystem displays a success message in a user interface. At 2630, when thevalidation of the schedule does result in errors, the financial closemanagement system displays a list of errors in the user interface.

Modifications to an existing schedule can also include creating atemplate from a schedule. FIG. 27 illustrates a method of creating atemplate from a schedule according to an embodiment of the invention. At2700, a schedule is selected. At 2710, a template is created from theschedule. According to the embodiment, creating a template from theschedule includes copying each task from the schedule into the template.At 2720, the offset days of the tasks of the template are aligned withthe calendar dates of the tasks of the schedule. According to theembodiment, aligning the offset days of the tasks of the template withthe calendar dates of the tasks of the schedule includes organizing thetasks of the schedule by offset days. According to the embodiment, oneor more tasks of the schedule can be assigned an offset day of 0.Furthermore, all tasks of the schedule that precede the one or moretasks assigned an offset day of 0, can be assigned offset days that arenegative numbers in the template, and all tasks of the schedule thatsucceed the one or more tasks assigned an offset day of 0 can beassigned offset days that are positive numbers in the template.

Modifications to an existing schedule can also include importing aschedule. FIG. 28 illustrates a method of importing a schedule accordingto an embodiment of the invention. At 2800, a file is selected.According to the embodiment, a file can be a flat file, such as a commonseparated values (CSV) flat file. The CSV flat file can follow a taggedcolumn format, where each row includes data associated with a task. Suchdata can include a task name, a task type, a task assignee, and a taskapprover. According to the embodiment, the file can be stored in thefinancial close management system. At 2810, the contents of the file areloaded into a schedule of the financial close management system.According to the embodiment, the financial close management system cancreate a new schedule, or select an existing schedule, convert each rowof the CSV flat file into a task object within the financial closemanagement system and insert the converted task into the schedule. As aresult, a schedule is created which includes the tasks of the CSV flatfile.

Modifications to an existing schedule can also include exporting aschedule. FIG. 29 illustrates a method of exporting a schedule accordingto an embodiment of the invention. At 2900, a schedule is selected. Theschedule can be an existing schedule of the financial close managementsystem. At 2910, the contents of the schedule are loaded into a file.According to the embodiment, the financial close management system cancreate a file within the system. The file can be a flat file, such as aCSV flat file. The CSV flat file can follow a tagged column format,where each row includes data associated with a task. Such data caninclude a task name, a task type, a task assignee, and a task approver.Subsequently, the financial close management system can select each taskof the schedule and convert the task into a row for the flat file andload the row into the flat file. At 2920, the file is saved in thefinancial close management system.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a user can import or exportan existing schedule by selecting a button displayed on a user interfaceof the financial close management screen which displays a “ManageSchedules” screen on the user interface. An example of a “ManageSchedules” screen displayed by the user interface is described inrelation to FIG. 31 below.

FIG. 30 illustrates a flow diagram for creating and managing schedulesaccording to an embodiment of the invention. More specifically, FIG. 30illustrates two flows for creating a schedule. In the first flow, at3000, a user logs in to a financial close management system. At 3001, auser manually creates a schedule in the financial close managementsystem as previously described in relation to FIG. 19. Subsequently, at3002, a user adds a task to the schedule. According to the embodiment, auser can repeat 3002 a number of times in order to add a number of tasksto the schedule.

In the second flow, at 3010, a user schedules an existing templatewithin the financial close management system. At 3011, a user validatesthe template. At 3012, a user sets attributes of the schedule. At 3013,a user aligns task days of the template with calendar dates of theschedule. At 3014, a user creates an empty schedule with the financialclose management system and copies the tasks of the template to theschedule. This flow describes the process of creating a schedule from atemplate, also described in relation to FIG. 20.

After either manually creating a schedule, or creating a schedule from atemplate, a user of the financial close management system can navigateto a main menu of a user interface, at 3020, and can further navigate toa “Manage Schedules” screen of the user interface, at 3330. An exampleof a “Manage Schedules” screen displayed by the user interface isdescribed in relation to FIG. 31 below. According to the embodiment,from the “Manage Schedules” screen, the user can modify an existingschedule as previously described in relation to FIGS. 21-29. Morespecifically, at 3040, the user can create a new schedule or edit anexisting schedule as previously described in relation to FIGS. 21-23. At3041, the user can duplicate an existing schedule as previouslydescribed in relation to FIG. 25. At 3042, the user can import or exportan existing schedule as described in relation to FIGS. 28-29. At 3050,the user can validate an existing schedule as described in relation toFIG. 26. At 3051, the user can create a template from a schedule asdescribed in relation to FIG. 27. At 3052, the user can delete aschedule as described in relation to FIG. 24.

FIG. 31 illustrates a user interface of a financial close managementsystem which displays a “Manage Schedules” screen according to anembodiment of the invention. The user interface illustrated in FIG. 31displays a list of the existing schedules of the financial closemanagement system. The user interface includes actions button 3100 whichallows a user to modify an existing schedule as previously described inrelation to FIGS. 21-29. The user interface also includes a set statusbutton 3110 which allows a user to change the status of an existingschedule as previously described in relation to FIG. 18.

When modifying a schedule, some tasks have parameters that need to bechanged every time they are put into a schedule. For example, a taskwith a date driven parameter can require a different date each time thetask is added to a schedule. According to an embodiment of theinvention, a task type, which is later inherited by a task, can bedefined to include one or more parameters that can be set at a schedule,rather than a task. Subsequently, according to the embodiment, whenadding a task which inherits from the task type, to a schedule, a valuefor the parameter can be set at the schedule rather than the task.According to an embodiment, if a system has multiple tasks with a sameparameter, by setting a value for the parameter at the schedule, a valuecan be set for the parameter of each task of the schedule.

FIG. 32 illustrates a flow diagram for setting task parameters at aschedule according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 32illustrates an administrative flow (the leftmost flow of FIG. 32), and atemplate scheduling flow (the rightmost flow of FIG. 32). In theadministrative flow, at 3200, a user enters a main menu of a financialclose management system. At 3210, the user navigates to a screen of thefinancial close management system configured to manage task types. At3220, the user creates a new task type, or selects an existing tasktype, with one or more parameters and specifies which parameters are tobe set by a schedule. In the template scheduling flow, at 3230, a userenters a main menu of the financial close management system. At 3240,the user navigates to a screen of the financial close management systemconfigured to manage templates. At 3250, a user creates a new template,or selects an existing template, where the template includes at leastone task that inherits from the task type which includes parameters thatwere previously specified to be set by a schedule, and schedules thetemplate. Scheduling the template includes creating a schedule from thetemplate. At 3260, the user selects a value to be assigned to theparameter, and the schedule assigns the value to the parameter of the atleast one task.

FIG. 33 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system configured to define task type parameters whose valuescan be set at a schedule according to an embodiment of the invention.The user interface illustrated in FIG. 33 displays Set During Scheduling3300, for a selected task type, that includes a field for each parameterthat allows a user to configure whether a value for the parameter can beset in a schedule that includes a task that inherits from the selectedtask type. According to the embodiment, if a field in Set DuringScheduling 3300 is enabled by the user, then a value for the parameteris capable of being set at a schedule which includes a task thatinherits from the selected task type, in addition to being capable ofbeing set at the task or at the task type. In contrast, if a field inSet During Scheduling column 3300 is not enabled by the user, then avalue for the parameter can only be set at a task that inherits from theselected task type, or at the selected task type. As an example, theuser interface illustrated in FIG. 33 displays a parameter name field3310, a parameter value field 3320 that allows a user to set a value forthe parameter identified by parameter name field 3310, and a checkboxfield 3330 that allows a user to configure whether a value for theparameter can be set in a schedule. In the illustrated embodiment,parameter value field 3320 is left blank, and checkbox field 3330 hasbeen enabled. This allows a user to set a value for the parameteridentified by parameter name field 3310 at a schedule that includes atask that inherits from the selected task type.

FIG. 34 illustrates an example of a user interface of a financial closemanagement system configured to set values of task parameters of aschedule according to an embodiment of the invention. According to theembodiment, the user interface illustrated in FIG. 34 is a userinterface that is displayed when creating a schedule where one or moretasks of the schedule includes parameters that have been defined toallow their values to be set at a schedule. In accordance with theembodiment, the user interface displays task type 3400, parameter 3410,current value 3420 and new value 3430. Task type 3400 displays a tasktype that a parameter belongs to, for each parameter that has beendefined to allow their values to be set at a schedule. Parameter 3410displays a name of each parameter that has been defined to allow theirvalues to be set at a schedule. Current value 3420 displays a currentvalue for each parameter that has been defined to allow their values tobe set at a schedule, if there is a current value for the parameter. Newvalue 3430 displays a field which allows a user to enter a new value foreach parameter that has been defined to allow their values to be set ata schedule. Thus, by entering a value for each parameter displayed atthe user interface of FIG. 34, a user can set the value of eachparameter at the schedule, even if a previously value for the parameterwas set either at the task or the task type that the task inherits from.

FIG. 35 illustrates a flow diagram of the functionality of a financialclose management module according to another embodiment of theinvention. At 3510, a schedule is created in a financial closemanagement system. The schedule includes an ordered set of tasks and astatus, where each task of the schedule is assigned a calendar date. At3520, the schedule is modified in the financial close management system,while the schedule is active. According to the embodiment, the status ofthe schedule determines, in part, what type of modifications can be madeto the schedule.

Thus, according to an embodiment of the invention, attributes of aschedule can be managed, thus adding significant flexibility to theschedule. In accordance with the embodiment, a schedule can be createdmanually or from a template. In addition, a schedule can be modified toincrease the efficiency of a schedule according to the embodiment.Finally, task parameter values can be set at a schedule, rather than ateach individual task, which increases the speed and efficiency of thescheduling process.

Filtering of Custom Attributes

One embodiment of the invention is directed towards filtering of customattributes. According to the embodiment, a custom attribute is anattribute of an object defined by a user. Once a user has defined one ormore custom attributes, the user can filter a set of objects based on afiltering criteria that includes one or more custom attributes toproduce a subset of objects. The filtering can be dynamic so that whenthe set of objects is modified (such as creating a new object, deletingan existing object, or modifying an existing object), the filter isautomatically updated. In an embodiment, a filtering criteria can bebased on the set of objects present in the system, so that any filterthat is defined returns at least one object. Furthermore, in anembodiment, once a filter is applied, any additional filter applied tothe original filter can have a filtering criteria based on the subset ofobjects returned by the original filter.

In one embodiment of the invention, a user can filter on one or morecustom attributes in a financial close management system. However, inother embodiments, a user can filter on one or more custom attributes inany type of computer system where a user can define one or more customattributes for an object of the computer system.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is directed toward filtering ofattributes. In contrast to custom attributes, an attribute is asystem-defined attribute that can be associated with an object.

FIG. 36 illustrates a framework for filtering on custom attributesaccording to an embodiment of the invention. According to theembodiment, FIG. 36 illustrates a framework that is a component of afinancial close management framework. However, one of ordinary skill inthe art would appreciate that this is merely an example implementationof the framework, and that the framework can be part of any computersystem framework, and still be within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 36 illustrates task type 100, task 110, template 120, and schedule130, which is discussed in relation to FIG. 1. FIG. 36 also illustratestwo additional core objects according to an embodiment of the invention,custom attribute 160, and filter 170. A custom attribute is auser-defined attribute that can be associated with an object, such astask type 100, task 110, template 120, and schedule 130. According to anembodiment of the invention, a custom attribute includes a name, avalue, and a value type. The name is the name of the custom attribute.The value is the value of the custom attribute. The value type defineswhat type the value of the custom attribute is. According to theembodiment, possible value types include Date, List, Number, Text, andTrue/False. If the value type is List, a user can define a list ofpossible values that can be selected as the value of the customattribute. Furthermore, in accordance with an embodiment, once a customattribute is defined, it can be associated with any object by any user.

A filter defines a subset of objects, such as task type 100, task 110,template 120, and schedule 130, based on a filtering criteria whenapplied to a set of objects in a system and displays the subset ofobjects to a user using a user interface. A filter can use any attributeassociated with an object as its filtering criteria. As will bediscussed in more detail, a filter can also use a custom attributeassociated with the object as its filtering criteria.

FIG. 37 illustrates an implementation of custom attributes according toan embodiment of the invention. According to the embodiment, a user candefine a custom attribute and associate it with an object (such as tasktype, task, template, and schedule). FIG. 37 illustrates twelve objects(task types 100, 101, and 102, tasks 110, 111, and 112, templates 120,121, and 122, and schedules 130, 131, and 132), where each object has acustom attribute associated with it. According to the embodiment, FIG.37 illustrates two types of custom attributes, custom attribute 160, andcustom attribute 161. According to the embodiment, task types 100, 101,and 102, and types 110, 111, and 112 are each associated with customattribute 160, and templates 120, 121, and 122, and schedules 130, 131,and 132 are each associated with custom attribute 161. Each instance ofcustom attribute 160 and 161 can have a unique value, but as illustratedin FIG. 37, some custom attributes can have identical values. As one ofordinary skill in the art would appreciate, FIG. 37 illustrates anexample configuration of custom attributes, and other configurations ofcustom attributes are within the scope of the invention. For example,each object can have its own custom attribute, or each object can havethe same custom attribute but with a unique value associated with thecustom attribute for each object. Furthermore, an object can have anynumber of custom attributes associated with it. Once at least one objectis associated with a custom attribute, the one or more objects can befiltered using the custom attribute as filtering criteria, as will bedescribed below in more detail.

FIG. 38 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to createa custom attribute according to an embodiment of the invention.According to the embodiment, the user interface displays name 3800 andtype 3810. A user can enter a value for name 3800, which is the customattribute name. A user can also select a type from type 3810, which isthe custom attribute type. As is illustrated in the following figure,FIG. 39, if a user selects the type List, a user can enter one or morevalues associated with the list.

FIG. 39 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to updatea custom attribute according to an embodiment of the invention.According to the embodiment, similar to the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 38, the user interface displays name 3900 and type 3910. Similar tothe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 38, a user can modify the customattribute name displayed at name 3900, and can modify the customattribute type displayed at type 3910. In the illustrated embodiment,the custom attribute type is List, so the user interface also displaysvalues 3920, which are the values associated with the list. According tothe embodiment, the user can add new values to the list, or deleteexisting values from the list. Thus, in accordance with the embodiment,and the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 38, a user can define a libraryof custom attributes.

FIG. 40 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to managecustom attributes according to an embodiment of the invention. Accordingto the embodiment, the user interface displays name 4000 which allows auser to enter text. The user interface also displays search button 4010.When a user selects search button 4010, the user interface will querythe system and return all custom attributes that include the same nameas the text entered in name 4000. The user interface will display thename of each custom attribute at name 4020, and the type of each customattribute at 4030.

FIG. 41 illustrates another example of a user interface configured tomanage custom attributes according to an embodiment of the invention.According to the embodiment, the user interface displays name 4100 whichallows a user to enter text. In contrast to the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 40, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 41, the user interfacealso displays a modifier (in this case, Contains), which allows the userinterface to query the system using the modifier. For example, in theillustrated embodiment, when a user enters text, the user interface canquery on all custom attributes that contain the text, rather than allcustom attributes with names that match the text. The user interfacealso displays type 4110 which allows a user to enter a value (or selecta value), and allow the user interface to query the system by type aswell as by name. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 41, the userinterface also displays a modifier (in this case, Equal to), and a typevalue (in this case, Number) which allows the user interface to querythe system using the modifier. For example, in the illustratedembodiment, the user interface can query on all custom attributes thathave a type equal to Number. When a user selects search button 4120, theuser interface will query the system and return all custom attributesthat include the same name as the text entered in name 4100 and the sametype as the value selected or entered in type 4110. A user can selectadd fields button 4130 to add more query fields to the user interface.The user interface will display the name of each custom attribute atname 4140, and the type of each custom attribute at 4150.

FIG. 42 illustrates an implementation of a filter according to anembodiment of the invention. As previously described, a filter defines asubset of objects, based on a filtering criteria when applied to a setof objects in a system and displays the subset of objects to a userusing a user interface. FIG. 42 illustrates a set of three objects (task110, task 111, and task 112) and a filter 170. The filtering criteria offilter 170 is defined so that filter 170 will only display a subset ofone object (task 110). Thus, when filter 170 is applied to the set ofthree objects (task 110, task 111, and task 112), filter 170 onlydisplays the subset of one object (task 110), as illustrated in FIG. 42.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a filter can use anyattribute of an object as its filtering criteria. Also according to theembodiment, the filter can be a dynamic filter and can automaticallyupdate its subset of objects based on changes to the set of objects(such as new objects, deleted objects, or modifications to existingobjects). Furthermore, according to an embodiment, a filter can beapplied to another filter, so that multiple filters can filter a set ofobjects to a subset of objects. In an embodiment utilizing multiplefilters, the filters can be applied and removed in any order. Forexample, a user can apply a first filter, a second filter, and a thirdfilter, where the three filters filter a set of objects to a subset ofobjects. More specifically, the first filter filters a set of objects toa subset of objects, the second filter filters the subset of objectsinto a second subset of objects, and the third filter filters the secondsubset of objects into a third subset of objects. Subsequently, a usercan remove a second filter, and the set of objects can be re-filteredbased on only the first filter and the third filter. In there-filtering, the first filter filters the set of objects to a subset ofobjects, and the third filter filters the subset of objects into asecond subset of objects.

Also, according to an embodiment, a system can determine the attributesassociated with a set of objects present in a system, and base afiltering criteria of a filter on attributes that are associated with atleast one object, so that the filter will always return at least oneobject. More specifically, the filtering criteria of the filter can bedefined to only include values of attributes that are associated with atleast one object from the set of objects. For example, if a set ofobjects includes a first task with an attribute A with a value of “A1”,and a second task with the attribute A with a value of “A2,” then thefiltering criteria of the filter can be defined to only include one of,or both, the values “A1” and “A2” of attribute A. Thus, according to theembodiment, a filter that is defined will return at least one task(either the first task, the second task, or both tasks).

According to another embodiment, once a filter is applied, a filteringcriteria for an additional filter applied to the original filter can bebased on the subset of objects returned by the original filter. Morespecifically, the filtering criteria for the additional filter can bedefined to only include values of attributes that are associated with atleast one object from the subset of objects returned by the originalfilter. As an example, a set of objects includes three tasks: a firsttask, a second task, and a third task. The first task can include twoattributes: attribute A with a value of “A1,” and attribute B with avalue of “B1.” The second task can also include two attributes:attribute A with a value of “A1,” and attribute B with a value of “B2.”The third task can include three attributes: attribute A with a value of“A2,” attribute B with a value of “B3,” and attribute C with a value of“C1.” Initially, a filter can be defined, where the filter defines asubset of objects using a filtering criteria. For example, a filter canbe defined that defines a subset of objects that includes the first taskand a second task. In the embodiment, a second filter can be defined,where the second filter defines a second subset of objects using asecond filtering criteria, where the second filtering criteria bedefined to only include values of attributes that are associated with atleast one object from the subset of objects. According to the example,the second filtering criteria can be defined to include one of, or both,the values “B1” and “B2” of attribute B. In this example, the secondfiltering criteria does not include any values for attribute C, becauseattribute C is not associated with any object in the subset of objects(i.e., the first task and the second task).

FIG. 43 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to displaya filter panel according to an embodiment of the invention. According toan embodiment of the invention, the filter panel displays a list ofsaved filters. In the illustrated embodiment, the filter panel displayseach object attribute being filtered, and below each object attribute,the filter panel displays a list of filters that are based on the objectattribute. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 43, filter paneldisplays task type 4300 and, below task type 4300, the filter paneldisplays list 4301. List 4301 includes a list of filters, where eachfilter uses a different task type value as filtering criteria. Likewise,filter panel also displays task owners 4310 and, below task owners 4310,the filter panel displays list 4311. List 4311 includes a list offilters, where each filter uses a different task owner value asfiltering criteria. Each filter displays the number of tasks returned bythe filter to the right of the filter. When a user selects a filter, thefilter displays the tasks returned by the filter in an adjoining screenof the user interface. An example of this display will now be describedin relation to FIG. 44.

FIG. 44 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to displaya filter panel and a view of objects based on an applied filter of thefilter panel according to an embodiment of the invention. The userinterface includes filter panel 4400. Filter panel 4400 is similar tothe filter panel illustrated in FIG. 43, but includes additional objectattributes being filtered, in this case, status and calendars. The userinterface also includes financial close process view 4410. Financialclose process view 4410 displays a set of objects, such as tasks,associated with the financial close process. When a filter of filterpanel 4400 is selected, financial close process view 4410 updates itselfand displays only the tasks returned by the selected filter.

FIG. 45 illustrates an example of a user interface configured to managefilters according to an embodiment of the invention. According to theembodiment, the user interface includes search 4500. Search 4500 is afield that allows a user to enter text. Upon entering text at search4500 and selecting go button 4510, the user interface displays list4520. List 4520 is a list of filters whose name matches the enteredtext. A user can then select a filter and either edit, delete, copy, orapply the selected filter.

FIG. 46 illustrates a method of filtering on custom attributes accordingto an embodiment of the invention. In accordance with an embodiment, afilter can be configured to filter based on one or more customattributes that are defined by a user and associated with at least oneobject. FIG. 46 illustrates a set of three objects (task 110, task 111,and task 112) and a filter 170. Task 110 is associated with customattribute 160, which has a value of “NORTH,” task 111 is associated withcustom attribute 160, which has a value of “SOUTH,” and task 112 isassociated with custom attribute 160, which has a value of “WEST.” Thefiltering criteria of filter 170 is defined so that filter 170 will onlydisplay an object associated with a custom attribute with a value of“NORTH.” Thus, when filter 170 is applied to the set of three objects(task 110, task 111, and task 112), filter 170 only displays a subset ofone object (task 110), as illustrated in FIG. 46, because task 110 isthe only task type associated with a custom attribute with a value of“NORTH.”

While the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 46 illustrates filtering ofcustom attributes, in an alternate embodiment, a filter can beconfigured to filter based on one or more attributes that are associatedwith at least one object. In this alternate embodiment, custom attribute160 can be replaced with an attribute. As previously described, anattribute is a system-defined attribute, as opposed to a user-definedattribute. In this embodiment, the functionality of the filter is thesame as the functionality of filter 170 illustrated in FIG. 46. Thus,according to the alternate embodiment, the only difference infunctionality is that the attribute being filtered is an attributerather than a custom attribute.

FIG. 47 illustrates a flow diagram of the functionality of a financialclose management module according to another embodiment of theinvention. At 4710, a custom attribute is defined. According to theembodiment, a custom attribute is an attribute defined by a user of asystem, and the custom attribute includes a name, a value, and a valuetype. At 4720, the custom attribute is associated with an object in thesystem. At 4730, a filter is defined. According to the embodiment, afilter defines a subset of objects based on a filtering criteria, whenapplied to a set of objects in the system, and displays the subset ofobjects using a user interface of the system. At 4740, the set ofobjects is filtered using the filter, where the custom attribute is usedas the filtering criteria.

Thus, according to an embodiment of the invention, a custom attributecan be associated with an object, and a set of objects can be filteredusing a value of the custom attribute as filtering criteria. This allowsa user to customize how a computer system filters its objects. Accordingto an embodiment, the filtering can be dynamic filtering. This allowsthe system to automatically update its displayed filters based on thecustom attributes current defined for each object.

The features, structures, or characteristics of the invention describedthroughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments. For example, the usage of “an embodiment,” “oneembodiment,” “some embodiments,” “certain embodiment,” “certainembodiments,” or other similar language, throughout this specificationrefers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment may beincluded in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus,appearances of the phrases “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “someembodiments,” “a certain embodiment,” “certain embodiments,” or othersimilar language, throughout this specification do not necessarily allrefer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments.

One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that theinvention as discussed above may be practiced with steps in a differentorder, and/or with elements in configurations which are different thanthose which are disclosed. Therefore, although the invention has beendescribed based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparentto those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, andalternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within thespirit and scope of the invention. In order to determine the metes andbounds of the invention, therefore, reference should be made to theappended claims.

We claim:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, causethe processor to integrate a financial close management system with anexternal application, the integrating comprising: creating anintegration type in the financial close management system, wherein theintegration type comprises a reusable definition that describes anaction involving a service or user interface of the externalapplication, and wherein the integration type further comprises a set ofparameters that are used to call the service or user interface of theexternal application; creating a task type based on the integration typein the financial close management system, wherein the task type definesa type of task that can be performed by the financial close managementsystem, and wherein the task type inherits the set of parameters thatare used to call the service or user interface of the externalapplication from the integration type; creating a task that is based onthe task type in the financial close management system, wherein the taskis a component of a financial close process, and wherein the taskinherits one or more attributes or one or more parameters from the tasktype; and executing the task in the financial close management system,wherein the task interfaces with the external application by calling theservice or user interface of the external application using theintegration type.
 2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the integration type is an end user task integrationtype; and wherein the task interfaces with the external application byinteracting with a user interface of the external application using auniform resource locator provided by the end user task integration type.3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein theintegration type is an automated task integration type; and wherein thetask interfaces with the external application by asynchronously callinga web service of the external application using a name of the webservice provided by the automated task integration type.
 4. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the externalapplication is a software application that is external from thefinancial close management system.
 5. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the integration typecomprises at least one of the following attributes: execution type, taskparameters, execution detail, response detail, name, description uniquecode identifier, or external application.
 6. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the task type provides oneor more default values for the set of parameters defined by theintegration type.
 7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, the integrating further comprising: creating an artifact at theexternal application; and returning a link to the artifact to the task.8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein eachparameter of the set of parameters defined by the integration type hasat least one of the following attributes: parameter name, parametercode, required flag, parameter order, tooltip, or parameterdependencies.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein the parameter is of one of the following parameter types: text,number, date, checkbox, static list, dynamic list, options group,document navigator, or dimension selector.
 10. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 1, the integrating further comprisinghandling security for the task to prevent unauthorized users fromaccessing the external application.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 1, the integrating further comprisingcreating the integration type by utilizing a user interface of thefinancial close management system to define the integration type. 12.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, the integratingfurther comprising creating the integration type by creating anintegration extensible markup language document and loading theintegration extensible markup language document into the financial closemanagement system.
 13. A computer-implemented method for integrating afinancial close management system with an external application,comprising: creating, by a processor, an integration type in thefinancial close management system, wherein the integration typecomprises a reusable definition that describes an action involving aservice or user interface of the external application, and wherein theintegration type further comprises a set of parameters that are used tocall the service or user interface of the external application;creating, by the processor, a task type based on the integration type inthe financial close management system, wherein the task type defines atype of task that can be performed by the financial close managementsystem, and wherein the task type inherits the set of parameters thatare used to call the service or user interface of the externalapplication from the integration type; creating, by the processor, atask that is based on the task type in the financial close managementsystem, wherein the task is a component of a financial close process,and wherein the task inherits one or more attributes or one or moreparameters from the task type; and executing, by the processor, the taskin the financial close management system, wherein the task interfaceswith the external application by calling the service or user interfaceof the external application using the integration type.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the integration type isan end user task integration type; and wherein the task interfaces withthe external application by interacting with a user interface of theexternal application using a uniform resource locator provided by theend user task integration type.
 15. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 13, wherein the integration type is an automated task integrationtype; and wherein the task interfaces with the external application byasynchronously calling a web service of the external application using aname of the web service provided by the automated task integration type.16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:creating an artifact at the external application; and returning a linkto the artifact to the task.
 17. A financial close management system,comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and a processorconfigured to execute the instructions stored on the memory; wherein theprocessor is further configured, when executing the instructions storedon the memory, to: create an integration type, wherein the integrationtype comprises an action involving a service or user interface of theexternal application, and wherein the integration type further comprisesa set of parameters that are used to call the service or user interfaceof an external application; create a task type based on the integrationtype, wherein the task type comprises a type of task that can beperformed by the financial close management system, and wherein the tasktype inherits the set of parameters that are used to call the service oruser interface of the external application from the integration type;create a task that is based on the task type, wherein the task is acomponent of a financial close process, and wherein the task inheritsone or more attributes or one or more parameters from the task type; andexecute the task, wherein the task interfaces with the externalapplication by calling the service or user interface of the externalapplication using the integration type.
 18. The financial closemanagement system of claim 17, wherein the integration type is an enduser task integration type; and wherein the task interfaces with theexternal application by interacting with a user interface of theexternal application using a uniform resource locator provided by theend user task integration type.
 19. The financial close managementsystem of claim 17, wherein the integration type is an automated taskintegration type; and wherein the task interfaces with the externalapplication by asynchronously calling a web service of the externalapplication using a name of the web service provided by the automatedtask integration type.
 20. The financial close management system ofclaim 17, wherein the processor is further configured, when executingthe instructions stored on the memory, to: create an artifact at theexternal application; and return a link to the artifact to the task.